The Machinery Directive is a European Directive which defines product requirements that must be upheld by manufacturers and other economic operators for the purpose of placing machinery and installations and other products covered by the scope of this Directive on the market and/or put these into use within Europe. The product requirements are defined by so-called essential safety and health requirements. Manufacturers and other economic operators planning to place machinery and installations on the market or put these into use within Europe must meet these requirements. Only after all applicable product requirements of the Machinery Directive and other relevant CE product requirements have been met, can the CE marking be affixed to the machinery and installations and can the machinery and installations be freely placed on the market within the European Union.
The Machinery Directive applies to machinery, installations, interchangeable equipment, safety components, lifting accessories, chains, ropes and webbing, removable mechanical transmission devices and partly completed machinery.
A number of products are also excluded from the Machinery Directive. These include agricultural and forestry tractors, switchgear and machinery installed on seagoing vessels and mobile offshore units.
