The user and maintenance manual is the most comprehensive and important part of the machine’s operating instructions.
The manual provides detailed information regarding:
- the use of the machine
- its entire life cycle: transportation, assembly, installation, commissioning, use, dismantling, and disposal, as described in the UNI EN ISO 12100 standard.
The user and maintenance manual must be made available and consultable by all the people who interface with the machine.
The preparation of the user and maintenance manual is closely linked to the Risk Assessment; in fact, the following must be included in the manual:
- the hazards identified during the assessment
- the risk mitigation measures implemented
- residual risks
It is essential to identify and document in the manual the intended use of the machinery; that is, to define the characteristics—both of the materials and the processes—for which the machine was designed.
Here below is an extract regarding the minimum required contents for a machinery instruction manual, as specified at point 1.7.4.2 of annex I of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/CE.
Each instruction manual must contain the following information:
- the business name and full address of the manufacturer and of his authorised representative;
- the designation of the machinery as marked on the machinery itself, except for the serial number;
- the EC declaration of conformity, or a document setting out the contents of the EC declaration of conformity, showing the particulars of the machinery, not necessarily including the serial number and the signature;
- a general description of the machinery;
- the drawings, diagrams, descriptions and explanations necessary for the use, maintenance and repair of the machinery and for checking its correct functioning;
- a description of the workstation(s) likely to be occupied by operators;
- a description of the intended use of the machinery;
- warnings concerning ways in which the machinery must not be used that experience has shown might occur;
- assembly, installation and connection instructions, including drawings, diagrams and the means of attachment and the designation of the chassis or installation on which the machinery is to be mounted;
- instructions relating to installation and assembly for reducing noise or vibration;
- instructions for the putting into service and use of the machinery and, if necessary, instructions for the training of operators;
- information about the residual risks that remain despite the inherent safe design measures, safeguarding and complementary protective measures adopted;
- instructions on the protective measures to be taken by the user, including, where appropriate, the personal protective equipment to be provided;
- the essential characteristics of tools which may be fitted to the machinery;
- the conditions in which the machinery meets the requirement of stability during use, transportation, assembly, dismantling when out of service, testing or foreseeable breakdowns;
- instructions with a view to ensuring that transport, handling and storage operations can be made safely, giving the mass of the machinery and of its various parts where these are regularly to be transported separately;
- the operating procedure to follow in the event of an accident or malfunction.
If a jam occurs, the operating procedure to follow to safely unjam the machine; - the description of the adjustment and maintenance operations that should be carried out by the user and the preventive maintenance measures that should be observed;
- instructions designed to enable adjustment and maintenance to be carried out safely, including the protective measures that should be taken during these operations;
- the specifications of the spare parts to be used, when these affect the health and safety of operators;
- information on airborne noise emissions;
- whether the machine can emit non-ionizing radiation that could be harmful to people.
In particular, if people are wearing active or non-active implantable medical devices, information regarding the radiation emitted for the operator and exposed individuals; - In relation to these requirements, other documents can be useful to define the content of the user instruction manual, for example the UNI EN ISO 12100:2010 standard.
Compliance with these requirements is of fundamental importance in order to provide all the necessary information regardingthe use of the machine and the associated risks identified in the Risk Assessment.
It should be noted that the manual, along with other forms of information, is part of the risk reduction measures, as specified in ISO 12100.
USE AND MAINTENANCE MANUAL – GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
Here below is the list of requirements set out at point 1.7.4.1 of annex I of the machinery Directive:
- It must be drafted in one or more Community languages and the official languages of the Member State
- The original instructions and their translations must be available; if the document needs to be distributed in a language other than the original, a copy of the original must be attached.
- The content must addressthe correct and reasonably foreseeable incorrectuse of the machinery
- It must be written using understandable and standardized terms, well-recognized technical terms, and, where necessary, their meanings must be explained.
These are only a few useful suggestions for drafting a User and Maintenance Manual.
In fact, you can refer to ISO 20607, Instruction Manual—General Principles of Drafting, for a comprehensive and in-depth overview.
