CE marking

The realization of the free movement of goods in the European internal market on 01.01.1993 has also led to a standardization of safety-related regulations of the European Union (EU).

That is, technical work equipment (machines, devices and work equipment for commercial and private use) may only be placed on the market or exhibited in the member states of the EU and the contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area if they comply with the requirements of the Law on the Safety of Technical Equipment and Devices (STEG) and the legal ordinances issued in this regard.

These legal ordinances contain quality requirements resulting from the national implementation of the corresponding EU directive and refer to existing relevant technical standards. Insofar as these standards apply throughout the EU, they are referred to as harmonized European standards.

Machinery, work equipment, tools, safety devices and personal protective equipment, household appliances, sports, leisure and hobby equipment, and toys that comply with the relevant EU directives and harmonized European standards (harmonized area!) bear the CE conformity marking as shown in Fig. 1. This marking is not directed at the consumer. It is intended to signal to the responsible supervisory authorities that the product complies with the safety requirements of the EU directives and that the prescribed procedures (conformity assessment procedures) for placing it on the market in the European Single Market have been observed.

But the consumer can also obtain from this label the information, which is important for the safety of use of the product, that the specified EU-uniform safety level was observed during manufacture.

Inasmuch as relevant EU directives do not exist or do not yet exist for certain products, and consequently no corresponding regulation on the STEG exists, the provisions of the STEG apply directly. Thus, the safety level specified in the generally recognized rules of technology as well as in the occupational safety and accident prevention regulations is authoritative. This is referred to as the non-harmonized area; in this case, the manufacturer or importer of technical work equipment can have its design tested voluntarily by a recognized testing body.