Safety of Equipment and working Machines

Safety Regulations and Directives define the technical requirements that must be met by equipment and machinery used in the workplace.

Essentially, the requirements in force in the European Community are divided into:

• “New” machines and equipment, purchased after the first issue of the EC Machine Directive (in Italy September 21, 1996): the Employer must verify that they are properly CE marked according to the applicable directives (…), must verify the identification of residual risks (the risks that remain in using the equipment even after the safety design process) and must evaluate the tasks related to the use of the machines in order to identify the necessary preventive actions (procedures, PPE, training, additional protections).
• Machinery and equipment “ante” 1996, i.e. already in use at the time of the issue of the EC Machine Directive (in Italy September 21, 1996): in this case, the Employer must verify that the equipment and machines meet the technical requirements included in Safety at Work regulations (in Italy Annex V of Legislative Decree 81/08, a sort of technical specification for “old” machines). Subsequently, the same criterion is applied with regard to the definition of residual risks, the evaluation of tasks and the identification of preventive actions.