Marking of load-securing and lifting-equipment.

CE-marking

What does “CE” stand for?

The abbreviation CE comes from the French and means “Communauté Européenne” (European Community).

What is the CE marking?

The CE marking is a directive issued by the European Community to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements. This means that manufacturers whose products bear the CE marking guarantee that all necessary requirements have been met in accordance with the relevant directives (Art. 4(1) 2006/42/EC). The CE marking is therefore an expression of the manufacturer's responsibility.

Which Dolezych products are subject to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC?

Different directives apply depending on the type of products a manufacturer produces. The directive relevant to Dolezych is the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. The Machinery Directive applies to machinery, lifting-appliances and lifting-equipment, among other things.

Machinery is “an assembly of linked parts or devices, at least one of which is mobile and which are joined together for lifting operations and whose sole power source is the direct application of human power” (Art. 2a 2006/42/EC). According to this definition, lever hoists, for example, are considered to be machinery.
A “lifting appliance” is a “component or piece of equipment, other than lifting machinery, which enables the load to be gripped and which is placed between the machinery and the load or on the load itself or is intended to become an integral part of the load and is placed separately on the market” (Art. 2d 2006/42/EC). This includes, for example, our lifting-equipment such as lifting straps, round-slings or lifting-chains and ropes, which are subject to mandatory testing.

Important: Lashing-straps are not covered by the Machinery Directive. They are not provided with a CE mark.

How are Dolezych machines and lifting-appliances marked?

The complete marking of a Dolezych lifting-appliance consists of the CE mark, the maximum permissible load capacity, the manufacturer, the year of manufacture and the material (Art. 4.3.2 2006/42/EC).

GS-marking

What is the GS marking?

The GS marking is a voluntary safety mark issued by an independent accredited testing company for ready-to-use products. It ensures that products comply with the quality and safety standards of the Product Safety Act and is valid for a maximum of five years. In order for the certificate to be extended, the production facility and, above all, the product are inspected to ensure that it still corresponds to the originally certified sample. These usually annual inspections are aimed at quality assurance.

Who can award a GS marking?

The GS marking is awarded by an authorized body (GS body). The authorization to act as a GS body is granted by the Central Office of the Federal States for Safety Engineering (ZLS), which also monitors the GS bodies.

Is a combination of CE and GS markings permissible?

Yes, a combination of both markings is permitted. The GS marking is a voluntary marking, whereas the CE marking is mandatory for certain products. Products that do not fall under the Machinery Directive and therefore do not have a CE mark can also be marked with the GS marking.

CE- and GS-markings at a glance

What is the difference between the CE and GS markings?

Name	CE-marking	GS-marking
Use	Obligatory	Voluntary
Basic statement	Declaration by the manufacturer that the product complies with the requirements of the Eu regulations for CE-marking (e.g. safety, environmental, EMC or performance requirements)	Confirmation by an instituition independent of the manufacturer that the product complies with health and safety regulations
Legal basis	EU regulations + transposition into national law	Product Safety Act (ProdSG)
Product areas	Variety of industrial products	Ready-to-use products to which the ProdSG applies
Are there control measures by an independent instituition?	Usually not. There are only mandatory if they are specified in the legislation.	Yes, in this way the testing and certification body ensures that only products conforming to the tested type are put into circulation
Where are cases of misconduct publishes?	Possibly in the data base of the market surveillance authorities	Through the GS-office