What the Low Voltage Directive covers
Directive 2014/35/EU applies to electrical equipment designed for use with a rated voltage:
- between 50 and 1000 V alternating current;
- between 75 and 1500 V direct current.
It requires the equipment to be safe for people, domestic animals and property, with an EU declaration of conformity and CE marking. Examples are low-voltage switchgear and controlgear, electric motors, household and office appliances.
How it works with the Machinery Regulation
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 states that the safety objectives of the Low Voltage Directive apply to machinery, but that the conformity assessment and placing-on-the-market obligations for electrical hazards are governed solely by the Regulation. In practice, for the machine the electrical hazards are assessed within the Machinery Regulation route, usually with the harmonised standard EN 60204-1 on the electrical equipment of machines.
The Regulation excludes some electrical and electronic products from its scope, insofar as they fall under the Low Voltage Directive or the Radio Equipment Directive: among them household appliances, audio and video equipment, information technology equipment, electric motors and certain switchgear and transformers.
What to do in practice
- If you sell the complete machine, electrical hazards are part of the machine's risk assessment and documentation.
- If you also sell switchgear, motors or electrical components on their own, the Low Voltage Directive applies to those products, with their own declaration and marking.
- Link the documentation of the installed electrical equipment to every serial number: diagrams, components and supplier certificates.
How to reference the Low Voltage Directive in the machine's declaration is a decision to take with your CE consultant.
Frequently asked questions
Does a machine with electrical parts fall under the Low Voltage Directive?
For the machine's electrical hazards, the Machinery Regulation applies the safety objectives of the Low Voltage Directive, but conformity assessment is governed by the Regulation itself. The Low Voltage Directive applies directly to electrical equipment placed on the market on its own.
Does a control panel sold separately follow the Low Voltage Directive?
If it falls within the Directive's voltage range and is placed on the market on its own, yes: it needs its own EU declaration of conformity and CE marking. Check the case with your consultant.