Essential requirements (ch. 1)No substantive change
1.4.2.2 · Interlocking movable guards
Annex III, 1.4.2.2 · Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 ·
What it requires
1.4.2.2 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 requires: interlocking movable guards that prevent hazardous functions while open and give a stop command when opened; guard locking where the danger zone could be reached before the risk has ceased. It is unchanged in substance compared with Directive 2006/42/EC and applies to machinery placed on the market from 20 January 2027.
What the instruction manual must reflect
Design requirement: no dedicated section is needed in the manual, but it must warn of any related residual risks (1.7.4.2(1)(l)) and explain any action the user has to take.
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Check my manual for free →Official text
Interlocking movable guards shall: (a) as far as possible remain attached to the machinery or related product when open; (b) be designed and constructed in such a way that they can be adjusted only by means of an intentional action. Interlocking movable guards shall be associated with an interlocking device that: (a) prevents the start of hazardous machinery or related product functions until those guards are closed; and (b) gives a stop command whenever those guards are no longer closed. Where it is possible for an operator to reach the danger zone before the risk due to the hazardous machinery or related product functions has ceased, movable guards shall be associated with a guard locking device in addition to an interlocking device that: (a) prevents the start of hazardous machinery or related product functions until the guard is closed and locked; and (b) keeps the guard closed and locked until the risk of injury from the hazardous machinery or related product functions has ceased. Interlocking movable guards shall be designed in such a way that the absence or failure of one of their components prevents starting or stops the hazardous machinery or related product functions.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, OJ L 165, 29.6.2023, Annex III, 1.4.2.2. The sections ‘What it requires’ and ‘What the instruction manual must reflect’ are our own summary and do not replace the official text.