EN ISO 20607: the machinery instruction handbook standard

What does EN ISO 20607 cover?

ISO's public summary describes the standard as follows:

• It sets requirements for how a machine manufacturer prepares the safety-related parts of the instruction handbook.
• It adds detail to the general requirements on information for use in ISO 12100:2010, subclause 6.4.5.
• It deals with the safety-related content of the handbook, its structure and its presentation, across every phase of the machine's life.
• It does not deal with how to declare noise and vibration emissions.

The standard is built around these main clauses (headings only):

Clause 5 follows the machine's life cycle. Its sub-clause headings run from "Transportation, handling and storage" and "Assembly, installation and commissioning" through "Operation" and "Inspection, testing and maintenance" to "Dismantling, disabling and scrapping". The standard describes itself as more specific to machinery than IEC/IEEE 82079-1.

What is the status of EN ISO 20607?

What does "harmonised" mean for EN ISO 20607?

A harmonised standard is a European standard made at the Commission's request to support EU law (Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012, Article 2(1)(c)). Once its reference is published in the Official Journal, a machine made in conformity with it "shall be presumed to comply with the essential health and safety requirements covered by such a harmonised standard" (Article 7(2) of the directive, consolidated text).

Two limits follow from this:

• Only what the standard covers. The presumption applies only to the requirements the standard covers. The European version of the standard states which requirements those are, in an annex called Annex ZA. We have not seen that annex, so this page makes no claim about which of the 22 points of Annex I §1.7.4.2 it covers. Check your own copy.
• It is voluntary. EU law defines a standard as one "with which compliance is not compulsory" (Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012, Article 2(1)). You may meet the directive another way, but you must then show how your manual meets each requirement.

How does EN ISO 20607 relate to IEC/IEEE 82079-1?

IEC/IEEE 82079-1:2019, "Preparation of information for use (instructions for use) of products – Part 1: Principles and general requirements", gives general principles for instructions for products of every kind. EN ISO 20607 is narrower: it covers the safety-related parts of the instruction handbook for machinery. ISO's summary of EN ISO 20607 points to IEC/IEEE 82079-1 for general information on preparing instructions.

The practical difference is legal status:

• EN ISO 20607 is listed under the Machinery Directive, so following it gives a presumption of conformity for what it covers.
• IEC/IEEE 82079-1 is not listed, so it gives no presumption.

How does it relate to the 22 points of the directive?

The directive and the standard do different jobs:

• The directive says what the manual must contain. Annex I §1.7.4.2 lists 22 points, (a) to (v), where they apply. They are explained on Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC manual requirements.
• The standard says how to prepare the safety-related parts: content, structure, wording and presentation.

The standard's content clause follows the machine's life, from transport and installation through operation and maintenance to dismantling. Most of the 22 points concern those same phases. For noise, point (u), ISO's summary says the standard does not deal with how to declare emissions, so the directive's text applies directly.

A practical way to use both:

1. Start from the directive's 22 points: they are the legal minimum. The free machinery manual checklist lists them with space for your notes.
2. Use EN ISO 20607 for how to write, structure and present the safety-related parts.
3. Give the noise values exactly as point (u) of the directive requires.
4. If you rely on the presumption of conformity, check in your copy's Annex ZA which requirements the standard covers. Then list it among the harmonised standards used in your declaration of conformity (particular 7 of Annex II 1.A).
5. Before 20 January 2027, check whether the standard appears in the first list published under the Machinery Regulation.

What does EU Manuals check?

EU Manuals checks a machinery manual (Word .docx) against the 22 instruction requirements of Directive 2006/42/EC, Annex I §1.7.4.2, free of charge, and returns a corrected Word manual — written from the manufacturer's answers to its questions — for €149 excluding VAT; translations cost €14.99 per EU language, also excluding VAT. It is an automated pre-review, not a certification.

The check covers the 22 points (a)–(v) of Directive 2006/42/EC, Annex I §1.7.4.2, and nothing more; it is not legal advice, and the manufacturer remains responsible for the manual and the machine.

What this check does not cover:

• the Machinery Regulation's new points (v) (rescue of persons) and (x) (emissions of hazardous substances), and its changed point (c);
• the Regulation's small additions to points (r) and (u);
• the conditions for supplying instructions in digital form;
• whether your declaration of conformity itself is correct;
• conformity with EN ISO 20607, or with IEC/IEEE 82079-1.

Prices: what a machinery manual compliance review costs.

Frequently asked questions

More guides

• Machinery Directive→
• Machinery Regulation 2023/1230→
• Manual checklist→
• Translation requirements→
• Declaration of conformity→
• CE marking & manuals→