In its amended proposal, the Commission has integrated a number of suggestions from the European Parliament in view of improving the Directive.
The Commission has accepted 11 amendments, in full, adopted by the Parliament at first reading. These amendments aim to clarify the scope of the Directive, to present a description of the different phases in the lifecycle of a product, to improve the safety level for construction site hoists and to simplify the application of the CE marking.
Among the 6 amendments accepted in principle by the Commission, those which aim to improve the measures concerning the designation of notified bodies or the introduction of the term "hazard", meaning "the possible occurrence of an injury to a person or damage to a person's health".
The Commission has also accepted in part 17 amendments which aim to introduce numerous simplifications and improvements to the scope of the Directive.
According to the new wording, the Directive shall apply to the following products: machinery; interchangeable equipment; safety components; lifting accessories; removable mechanical transmission devices; partly completed machinery.
The following are excluded from the scope of this Directive: components, including safety components, or equipment, including interchangeable equipment, intended to be used as spare parts to replace identical components or equipment supplied by the manufacturer of the original machinery or by a third party in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions; specific equipment for use in fairgrounds and amusement parks; machinery specially designed or put into service for nuclear purposes
which, in the event of failure, may result in an emission of radioactivity; firearms;
the following means of transport: agricultural and forestry tractor; motor vehicles and their trailers; vehicles covered by Directive 92/61/EEC; motor vehicles exclusively intended for competition; and means of transport by air, on water and on rail networks; (Machinery mounted on these means of transport is not excluded); seagoing vessels and mobile offshore units and machinery installed on board such units; machines specially designed and constructed for military or police purposes; mine winding gear; machinery intended to move performers during artistic performances; electrical and electronic products falling into the following areas: household appliances, audio and video equipment, information technology equipment, office machinery and equipment, circuit breakers and switches, the following types of high-voltage electrical equipment: switch gear and control gear, transformers; motors of all types; industrial sites taken as a whole; medical devices.
The Commission accepts, in part, the amendments concerning the term "machinery".
The proposal specifies that all machinery must be marked legibly and indelibly with the following minimum particulars: the name and address of the manufacturer and, where applicable, his authorised representative, where applicable, the name and address of the natural or legal person who assumes responsibility for its conformity to this Directive, designation of the machinery, CE marking, designation of series or type, serial number, if any, the year of construction. Furthermore, machinery designed andconstructed for use in a potentially explosive atmosphere must be marked accordingly. Machinery must also bear full information relevant to its type and essential to its safe use. Where a machine part must be handled during use with lifting equipment, its mass must be indicated legibly, indelibly and unambiguously. Other amendments proposed by the Parliament (40 in total) were rejected by the Commission.�