BITA opinion l
global as a result of the 2006 Machinery Directive.
The new ISO 3691 will be a family of worldwide basic standards complying with the major legislative regulations in, for example, the EU, Japan, Australia and North America. The standard will be in six parts: the base standard and five parts related to other different types of industrial trucks. Any remaining specific regional requirements will be addressed by Technical Specifications ISO/TS 3691- 7:2011 and ISO/TS 3691-8, which build on the universal base structure and allow for some additional regional variations.
At the time of writing, only Part 1 (the base standard), Part 5 (covering pedestrian propelled trucks), and TS- 7 have been published. The remaining parts should follow during 2012 and in
due course all will be published as European Norms. As the six parts of EN ISO 3691 are published as European Norms, and cited in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), they become harmonised and can then be used by manufacturers to provide presumption of conformity with the Machinery Directive.
In order to assist the EU authorities in their Market Surveillance activities the ISO Technical Specification TS-7 will be published under the EN 16307 series, consisting of six parts, under the general title 'Industrial trucks — Safety requirements and verification'. (Published ISO versions may be viewed online now at
http://bit.ly/xf400I.)
Benefits for the industry The development of the new standards will benefit the industry in three ways:
What are Harmonised Standards?
Under the EU’s governing Treaties, it may harmonise the legislation of its Member States to ensure the establishment and functioning of the internal market. Standards produced under a Mandate from the European Commission, which support the essential requirements of a New Approach Directive, are known as ‘harmonised’ standards. In December 2006, the EC mandated CEN (and counterpart
CENELEC) to review the existing body of harmonised standards for machinery in light of Directive 2006/42/EC, and to develop the necessary new standards. For more information see
http://bit.ly/xiMhMg.
1. By replacing a diverse portfolio of national and regional standards, these new, unified international standards mean manufacturers no longer need to develop different designs for different markets, permitting products to be shipped freely, worldwide, without any technical barriers.
2. The new standards will keep abreast of product developments by reviewing technical specifications every three years, while continuing to improve the standard of safety of industrial trucks in a much more structured way.
3. And, of course, they also provide a ‘user-friendly’ structured way for manufacturers based in (or importing into) Europe to comply with the Machinery Directive. ●
www.bita.org.uk
www.PressOnShD.com February 2012 ShD 23
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