GENERAL QUALITY AND SAFETY DECLARATIONS

1.- MANUFACTURE AND DESTINATION

The European standard "EN-280", titled "MOBILE ELEVATOR WORK PLATFORMS (MEWP), DESIGN CALCULATIONS, STABILITY CRITERIA, CONTRUCTION, SAFETY, EXAMINATIONS AND TESTS", was approved by the nineteen countries of the European Committee for Standardization (ECS), including Spain (Official State Gazette 213 of 5/9/02).

In its article 1, Object and scope of application, section 1.1 begins: "This European standard specifies the requirements and technical safety measures for all types and sizes of mobile elevator work platforms (MEWP), intended to transport personnel to positions from which they can work from the work platform".

Article 3, Terms and Definitions, establishes at the beginning of section 3.1 the definition of Mobile elevator work platform (MEWP): " Mobile machine intended to transport personnel to positions from which they can work from the work platform".

As mentioned above, APPLICATION and DEFINITION, MEWPs are specifically designed and manufactured to lift persons, whatever the type, system or operation of said machines.

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2. LEGALISATION: LAUNCH

Before being put into service for the first time, MEWPs were legalised in accordance with legislation in force on their respective start dates:

•  Until April 12, 1991, in accordance with that standardised in the General Decree of Health and Safety at Work of March 9, 1971 (Official State Gazette of March 16 and 17 and April 6, 1971);

•  Until December 31, 1996, by the Complementary Technical Instruction MSG-SM-1, of the Safety Regulations for Machines, through Certificate issued by the manufacturer or legal representative in the EEC or by an Inspection and Regulatory Control Body authorised to apply said Regulations, Oc. by an accredited Laboratory, in which compliance of safety regulations of chapter VII is justified, or others in force in Member States with an equivalent safety level.

•  From January 1, 1997, in compliance with the Machinery Directive 98/37/CE, modified by the 98/79/CE, transposed to Spanish legislation in Royal Decrees 1435/1992 and 56/1995, which establish the essential health and safety requirements for machines, before their marketing and launch in the European Union. It is applied to new machines manufactured in the European Union and to new or used machines from third countries. MEWPs must be provided with the "CE mark" and accompanied by the "EC declaration of conformity", through the procedure in Annex VI of the Directive, as "devices for the lifting of persons involving a risk of falling from a vertical height of over 3 metres", with the corresponding "EC type-examination".

In short, the "CE marking" and "EC declaration of conformity" are only binding for the MEWP from January 1, 1997, and are not applied to elevating platforms manufactured or put into service for the first time in Spain before the aforementioned date.

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3. LEGAL REGULATIONS

3.1 MANUFACTURE

- MACHINERY DIRECTIVE 98/37/CE, modified by the 98/79/CE, (Royal Decrees 1435/1992 and 56/1995) = CE marking and EC declaration.

- EN-280, prepared under a Mandate addressed to the CEN by the European Commission, and serves as support for the essential requirements of the Machinery Directive.

3.2 USE

- Royal Decree 1215/1997, of July 18 (Official State Gazette number 188, August 7), which transposed the Directives 89/655/CEE and 95/63/CE to Spanish law, which establishes the minimum health and safety requirements for the use of equipment by workers.

- Royal Decree 1627/1997, of October 24 (Official State Gazette number 256, October 25), which transposed the Directive 92/57/CE to Spanish law, which establishes the minimum health and safety requirements in building works.

- UNE-58921, Spanish Regulation "Instructions for installation, handling, maintenance, services and checks of the mobile elevator work platforms (MEWP)".