Risk assessment

ANNEX I

Essential health and safety requirements for the design and construction of machines

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

1. The manufacturer of a machine or their authorized representative must ensure that a risk assessment is carried out in order to determine the health and safety requirements which apply to the machine. The machine must then be designed and constructed taking into account the results of the risk assessment.

For the above-mentioned iterative risk assessment and risk reduction procedures, the manufacturer or their authorized representative shall

• determine the limits of the machine, which includes its intended use and any reasonably foreseeable misuse;
• identify the hazards which may be generated by the machine and the associated hazardous situations;
• to assess the risks, taking into account the severity of possible injuries or damage to health and the probability of their occurrence;
• evaluate the risks in order to determine whether risk reduction is necessary in accordance with the aim of this directive;
• eliminate the hazards or reduce the risks associated with these hazards by applying protective measures, in the order of priority established in point 1.1.2(b).