Legal provisions

To ensure safe use of a machine, it is essential for users to have a correct understanding of the instructions for use, warning information and other accompanying material. Accordingly, many countries and economic areas have put in place laws, provisions and guidelines to regulate the information that manufacturers must make available to users.

In the European Union, the relevant requirements are set out in Directive 2006/42/EC, known as the “Machinery Directive”, and the corresponding guide to its application. In addition to detailed provisions on the type, form and content of the product information, it also defines the language(s) in which the information is provided:

“Any written or verbal information and warnings must be expressed in an official Community language or languages, which may be determined in accordance with the Treaty by the Member State in which the machinery is placed on the market and/or put into service and may be accompanied, on request, by versions in any other official Community language or languages understood by the operators.” (Section 1.7.1)