Welding, cutting and workshop equipment

• Directive 2014/35/EU — Low Voltage
• Directive 2014/30/EU — EMC
• Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 — Machinery
• Regulation (EU) 2016/425 — PPE for welding helmets
• Directive 2012/19/EU — WEEE

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers and sellers outside the Union placing welding equipment on the EU market. The welding set is electrical equipment and often machinery; the helmet and protective clothing are PPE requiring type examination.

Thresholds and exemptions

None. Auto-darkening welding filters are Category II PPE at minimum given the eye hazard.

What must appear on the label

CE marking, manufacturer and EU representative details, model and serial number, rated data and duty cycle, and the WEEE symbol. Welding helmets carry CE marking with the notified body number, the shade scale numbers and the optical class.

Marketplace fields

Marketplaces remove auto-darkening helmets that cannot evidence certification, and the shade and switching time claims are checked because eye damage is immediate and permanent.

Documentation you must hold

EU declaration of conformity, technical file, electrical and EMC test reports, and for the helmet the EU type-examination certificate with the optical performance data.

Standards and testing

EN IEC 60974 series for arc welding equipment, EMC testing, and EN 379 and EN 166 for welding filters and eye protection including switching time, optical class and ultraviolet and infrared transmittance.

Language requirements

Instructions and safety warnings in the language of each member state of sale, including the fume and radiation warnings.

When it applies

Before placing on the market.

How long records are kept

Ten years.

What happens if you do not comply

Withdrawal and Safety Gate alerts. Auto-darkening filters that fail to switch, or that leak ultraviolet radiation when clear, are treated as a serious risk.

Who enforces it

Market surveillance authorities, labour inspectorates, notified bodies and customs.

Where the boundary lies

An auto-darkening filter that does not darken still transmits harmful radiation, so the passive protection level when clear is as important as the switching. Welding fume extraction equipment is separate machinery with its own requirements.

Questions we are asked

Are welding helmets PPE?

Yes, with EU type-examination by a notified body, and the filter has its own optical class and shade markings.

Does a welding set need machinery documentation?

Wire feed and moving components bring the machinery rules alongside the electrical ones, and the risk assessment must address both.