Essential requirements (ch. 1)Amended requirement
1.7.4.1 · General principles for the drafting of instructions for use
Annex III, 1.7.4.1 · Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 ·
What it requires
1.7.4.1 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 requires: the instructions must take reasonably foreseeable misuse into account and, for non-professional users, their level of training. It has changed compared with Directive 2006/42/EC and applies to machinery placed on the market from 20 January 2027.
What changes compared with Directive 2006/42/EC
The Annex no longer requires the wording ‘Original instructions’ / ‘Translation of the original instructions’.
What the instruction manual must reflect
Section on foreseeable misuse; wording adapted to non-professional users.
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Check my manual for free →Official text
(a) The contents of the instructions for use shall cover not only the intended use of the machinery or related product but also take into account any reasonably foreseeable misuse thereof; (b) In the case of machinery or related products intended for use by non-professional operators, the wording and layout of the instructions for use shall take into account the level of general education and acumen that can reasonably be expected from such operators.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, OJ L 165, 29.6.2023, Annex III, 1.7.4.1. The sections ‘What it requires’ and ‘What the instruction manual must reflect’ are our own summary and do not replace the official text.