FEM Cranes and Lifting Equipment analysis shows: Future machinery products regulation goes far beyond the current state of the art

FEM Cranes and Lifting Equipment analysis shows: Future machinery products regulation goes far beyond the current state of the art

FEM, the Association for Materials Handling is campaigning for further improvements to the legal text.

Currently, the proposed machinery products regulation is in the so-called Trilogue procedure in which the representatives of the Council Presidency, the European Parliament and the EU Commission negotiate the final text. The Association for Materials Handling and Intralogistics has actively accompanied the legislative process from the very beginning and the currently published draft texts of the Council and the Parliament show numerous improvements. FEM continues to take a very critical view of the draft proposals from the Commission and the Council on the new essential health and safety requirement of Annex I, Risk of contact with live overhead power lines (EHSR 3.5.4).

The in-depth analysis “Avoiding Contact to energized Power Lines” prepared by the FEM Product Group Cranes and Lifting Equipment shows: For high mobile machinery, such as cranes or aerial work platforms, the requirements of the draft are technically not feasible. FEM therefore strongly recommends further revision of the present draft, taking into account the current state of the art.

Bernd Boos, Head of Engineering Liebherr-Werk Ehingen and FEM President Mobile Cranes, explained:

“Machine safety is very important to us manufacturers. We therefore invest a lot into R&D and the standards are regularly updated to reflect the state of the art. With the currently available technology, it is, however, not possible to prevent all electrical hazards from live overhead powerlines. Organisational measures are therefore still required to ensure that overhead powerlines do not pose any risks. The future machinery products regulation must take this into account.”

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