The European Parliament approved the Commission proposal subject to 44 amendments, the main purpose of which was to:
- include the objective of defining minimum health and safety requirements, with the Member States obliged to respect and improve on these requirements;
- consider the directive as a practical step towards the creation of the social dimension of the European Union;
- make provision for the decommissioning by 31 December 2005 of specific equipment already made available to workers on 31 December 1992;
- ensure that employers consult the other social partner before taking suitable measures to comply with the minimum requirements listed in the annexes;
- authorise the Member States to take alternative measures where it is objectively impossible to apply the minimum requirements;
- ensure that the safety of equipment is checked by qualified staff when installed, every time it is assembled on a new site and on a regular basis;
- ensure that employers take full account of the posture and position of workers;
- include training in the use of work equipment and information on the potential risks in the work area in the scope of the directive;
- associate trades union, European works committees and other workers' representatives in the process;
- minimise the risks inherent in using dangerous machinery or equipment;
- stipulate the content of the maintenance log for each item of work equipment;
- add the equipment, mechanisms, vehicles etc. subject to minimum safety requirements to the annexes;
The Commission was unable to accept amendments 26, 41, 43, 6, 18, 28, 15, 20, 31, 25, 11 or 36, but did accept amendments 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 38 and 48, worded differently.�