The Machinery Directive's Guide Allows Digital User Instructions

Today's update to the Guide to the Application of the Machinery Directive introduces a major development: digital user instructions are now allowed, aligning with provisions from the new machinery regulation.

This significant update clarifies that providing instructions digitally, in line with Article 10(7) of the new Machinery Regulation, guarantees these instructions adhere to legal requirements.

The guide references a 2023 Eurostat report showing that at least 93% of EU households have internet access as a key reason for this change.

This high level of connectivity, combined with the specific formatting rules from the new Machinery Regulation—including the requirement to provide essential safety information in paper form for non-professional users—ensures full compliance with the Machinery Directive.

You can find the updated Guide here.

What says Article 10(7) of the new regulation?

According to the new machinery regulation, manufacturers can provide instructions in digital format. 

If the instructions are digital, manufacturers must clearly indicate on the machinery, its packaging, or in a document included with the machine, how users can access these instructions online.

Besides, the manufacturer must ensure that the digital instructions can be downloaded and printed, allowing users to save them on any electronic device for easy access at any time—especially important if the machinery breaks down.

The instructions shall be kept available online for the entire expected lifetime of the machinery and for at least ten years after the product is first sold.

If a customer indicates this at the time of the purchase, manufacturers are required to provide a paper version of the instructions at no extra cost, which should be delivered within one month of purchase.

For machinery intended for non-professional use, or that might reasonably be used by non-professionals, it’s mandatory to provide essential safety information in paper format. This is to ensure that all users can safely operate and maintain the machinery.

Lastly, the instructions, safety information, and details in Annex III of the machinery regulation must be presented in a language that’s easy for users to understand. This requirement varies by the Member State but aims to make the information clear, understandable, and readable.

Read more about the new machinery regulation in this article.

What are your next steps?

We believe that assessing the feasibility of transitioning to a digital format should be included in your risk assessment.

We can help you through the decision making process to determine which parts of the user instructins can be provided in a digital format. 

Please reach out to us if you want to know what possibilities exist for your user instructions.

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