What are the hazards related to products falling under the Machinery Directive (MD)?

The Machinery Directive (MD) 2006/42/EC ensures the free movement of machinery within the EU single market and guarantees the critical high level of health and safety protection for all European consumers. When CE marking a product against the Machinery Directive, it is possible that you may need to undertake a risk assessment. If that’s the case, you will have to consider the probable occurrence of specific hazards, such as electrical, mechanical, chemical, biological and ergonomic. Exemplar hazards, part of the MD’s scope, could be:

• Electrical hazards, such as arcs, electromagnetic or electrostatic phenomena; overload, short-circuit, thermal radiation and others;
• Thermal hazards, such as flame, explosion, high-temperature materials, hot surfaces of machines, radiation from heat sources, etc.;
• Noise hazards, such as gas leaking at high speed, cavitation phenomena, stamping and cutting, exhausting system, moving parts, unbalanced rotating parts, etc.;
• Vibration hazards are, for example, cavitation phenomena, vibrating equipment, mobile equipment, misalignment of moving parts, unbalances rotating parts, etc.;
• Radiation hazards, such as an ionising radiation source, the presence of a laser, low frequency electromagnetic and optical radiation;
• Machinery mobility;
• Hazardous substances, such as aerosols, bacterial agents, fibres, explosives, fluids, gas, and others;
• Ergonomic hazards, such as design or location of indicators, control devices, visual displays units, etc.;
• Environmental hazards, such as dust, fog, lightning, electromagnetic disturbance, moisture, water, pollution, temperature, wind, lack of oxygen, and others;
• Acceleration and deceleration;
• Gravity;
• Superficial finishing of easily reached parts of the product, such as sharp edges and angular parts;
• Rough or slippery surface;
• Kinetic energy;
• Elastic pieces;
• Instability of the entire machine or only parts of it;
• High pressure;
• Stored energy;
• Vacuum;
• Falling objects;
• Cutting elements;
• Moving or rotating elements;

All of the hazards mentioned can cause some harm. The harm caused can be, as follows:

• Injuries, such as falling, crushing, wedging;
• Suffocation;
• Entrapment;
• Cuts, burns and other skin damage;
• Injuries to animals or property damage;
• Electrical shock and fire;
• Health risks, such as discomfort, stress, loss of balance, permanent hearing loss, body trauma;
• Health disorders, such as musculoskeletal, vascular, neurological, osteoarticular, etc.;
• And many more.