A major piece of new legislation, that lays down the fundamental safety requirements that machinery must meet in order to be sold into the EU Single Market, was published on 29th June 2023. Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 will replace the current EU Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC). This new regulation has been updated to primarily address the risks posed by the emergence of new technologies such as autonomy, machine learning, and cyber threats, as well as including new/revised general safety requirements covering aspects such as contact with overhead powerlines, machine movement in the case where the operator’s restraint system is not engaged, and provision of hand/arm vibration information. More details of the implications of the new regulation were shared with CEA members during the 25th May Power Hour, a recording of which can be found here.
The implementation date of the new regulation is 14th January 2027. Whilst this might appear to be some time away yet, industry faces a tough challenge in order to revise the large number of harmonised standards that will need to be updated so that they maintain alignment with the new regulation. These harmonised standards are an essential tool for manufacturers to establish compliance with the technical requirements of the regulation, so please rest assured that CEA members are already actively contributing to the development of these standards in order to give manufacturers the best chance of having them available in a timely manner. As ever, regular updates on the progress of the development of these standards will be provided to members of the CEA’s General Technical Committee (GTC).
The full text of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 can be found here.
The remaining burning question relates to how the UK will react to the implementation of this new EU regulation. For Northern Ireland, the situation is clear; products placed on the Northern Ireland market must comply with the new regulation as of 14th January 2027. However, when it comes to selling products into the Great Britain market, the UK government has yet to declare what its general policy is in regard to alignment/divergence with EU product safety legislation; it has most certainly made no comment about this specific piece of legislation. The CEA will continue to press the government to declare its position, especially given that we now have an implementation date of the new EU regulation.
If you have any queries in this matter then please contact the CEA’s Senior Technical Consultant, Dale Camsell, at dale.camsell@thecea.org.uk
