Hand tools, ladders and workshop equipment

• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 — GPSR
• Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 — Machinery for powered tools
• Regulation (EU) 2016/425 — PPE for some protective accessories

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers and sellers outside the Union placing hand tools, ladders and workshop equipment on the EU market. Non-powered tools fall under GPSR; anything with a drive system moves into the machinery regime with CE marking and a technical file.

Thresholds and exemptions

None. Ladders in particular are a high-injury category and receive disproportionate enforcement attention relative to their price.

What must appear on the label

Manufacturer and responsible person details with an EU address, model and batch identification, maximum load and, for ladders, the standard reference, the maximum user weight, the professional or domestic classification and the safety pictograms.

Marketplace fields

Marketplaces check the responsible person and remove ladders that do not reference the applicable standard. Counterfeit branded tools are a parallel enforcement problem in this category.

Documentation you must hold

Technical documentation with the risk analysis, load and strength test reports, and material specifications. For powered tools, the full machinery file with the declaration of conformity.

Standards and testing

EN 131 series for ladders and stepladders, covering strength, stability, slip resistance and the labelling requirements. EN ISO 6789 for torque tools. Impact and hardness testing for struck tools, since chipping is a recognised eye injury cause.

Language requirements

Instructions, load limits and safety warnings in the language of each member state of sale.

When it applies

Before the product is made available.

How long records are kept

Ten years for the documentation.

What happens if you do not comply

Withdrawal, Safety Gate alerts and fines. Ladder collapses generate alerts regularly, and failures under EN 131 are among the most common findings in coordinated sweeps.

Who enforces it

National market surveillance authorities, labour inspectorates where the tools are used professionally, and customs.

Where the boundary lies

Adding a motor changes everything: a manual hoist is GPSR, a powered hoist is machinery with a risk assessment, a technical file and CE marking. Protective accessories sold alongside — goggles, gloves — are PPE with their own type-examination requirements.

Questions we are asked

Do ladders need CE marking?

No, ladders are not CE-marked products, but they must comply with GPSR and in practice with EN 131, and they need an EU responsible person and documentation.

Is a cordless drill a machine?

Yes. It has a drive system, so the machinery regime applies with CE marking, a technical file and a risk assessment, plus battery and WEEE registrations.