A new EU Regulation on placing agricultural and forestry vehicles on the market came into force in March 2013. The new rules aim mainly to ensure that vehicles coming new onto the market provide a high degree of safety and environmental protection. The Regulation lays down various general safety requirements but leaves the Commission to spell out the technical details for achieving the objectives in what are known as "delegated acts".
The Member States have to agree on the content of the "delegated acts" which specify the construction requirements and functional safety requirements of these types of vehicles by February 2014.These include such matters as the position of the driving seat, safety belts, rear-view mirrors and roll-over protective structures (ROPS).
The ETUI hosted a seminar on these issues last March and is now calling on national trade unions to press their national authorities to ensure that these "delegated acts" put a bigger focus on ergonomics and the human-machine interface.
Links:
- HesaMag 7: Standardization: what roles for the unions?