The UKMHA has produced a new guidance document for manufacturers on the adoption of the latest European standard for electrical/electronic requirements for industrial trucks.
EN 1175: 2020 Safety of industrial trucks – Electrical/electronic requirements was published in July 2020 as a replacement for the standards:
- EN 1175-1:1998+A1:2010, Safety of industrial trucks – Electrical requirements
– Part 1: General requirements for battery powered trucks
- EN 1175-2:1998+A1:2010, Safety of industrial trucks – Electrical requirements
– Part 2: General requirements of internal combustion engine powered trucks
- EN 1175-3:1998+A1:2010, Safety of industrial trucks – Electrical requirements
– Part 3: Specific requirements for the electric power transmission systems of internal combustion engine powered trucks.
EN 1175:2020 was cited by the European Commission in the OJEU as providing a
presumption of conformity with the Machinery Directive, 2006/42/EC, in October 2021, and
was listed as a UK ‘designated standard’ providing a presumption of conformity with The
Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, as amended, in July 2022. The transition
period, whereby both the new standard and the previous editions provide a presumption
of conformity, terminates in both the EU and the UK on 15 April 2023. From this date, the
1998+A1:2010 editions of EN 1175 parts 1, 2 & 3 will no longer provide manufacturers with
a presumption of conformity.
UKMHA said the new standard significantly increases the design details and, to enable manufactures to update their technical construction files an extended overlap between the date of availability of the new standard and the date of withdrawal of the previous editions was agreed.
It said in the period since the text was finalised the world had suffered from the coronavirus
pandemic, which continues to disrupt global manufacturing and supply chains. Parts shortages and long lead times, combined with unprecedented demand for material handling equipment and the disruptions caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine have made it especially challenging for manufacturers to ensure that their whole product range is fully aligned to the latest edition of the standard by the end of the transition period.
The difficulties are particularly acute for well-established designs produced in relatively low volumes.
So, while manufacturers are expected to adopt EN 1175:2020 expeditiously, there may be instances where this is not practical for some products by the end of the transition period.
Article 12 of the Machinery Directive does not require that harmonised standards be applied to demonstrate compliance with requirements of the Directive even where such standards exist. Accordingly, there is no mandatory requirement for manufacturers to adopt EN 1175:2020 so long as the manufacturer has applied the appropriate procedure for conformity assessment.
The full document can be read here
