BS EN 474-1-2022 (2024) PDF

Full title and description

STB BS EN 474-1-2022 (2024) — Earth‑moving machinery — Safety — Part 1: General requirements. This product page describes the BS (British adoption) / national publication of the European standard EN 474-1:2022, which sets common safety requirements applicable to families of earth‑moving machines and is intended to be used together with the machine‑specific parts EN 474‑2 to EN 474‑13.

Abstract

EN 474-1:2022 specifies general safety requirements for earth‑moving machinery (as defined in EN ISO 6165:2012) and gives common rules that apply across multiple machine families. It addresses hazards arising through the foreseeable lifecycle of machines (design, manufacture, use, maintenance) and is used together with the specific parts of the EN 474 series to provide a complete safety specification for a particular machine type. The document excludes certain items (for example horizontal directional drills, main external electrical drives, demolition machinery, and some control‑system performance requirements) and sets normative requirements for operator protection, protective structures (ROPS), controls and human‑machine interface, lifting devices and overload protection, guarding of moving/hot parts, noise information and documentation.

General information

• Status: Current (European standard EN 474-1:2022; published and adopted nationally as BS EN 474-1:2022 / national editions such as STB noted in the title).
• Publication date: 1 June 2022 (EN 474-1:2022).
• Publisher: CEN (European Committee for Standardization); national adoptions are published by national bodies (example: BSI publishes BS EN 474-1:2022 as the UK implementation).
• ICS / categories: 53.100 — Earth‑moving machinery.
• Edition / version: EN 474-1:2022 (British national adoption: BS EN 474-1:2022; national edition referenced here as STB … (2024) per title).
• Number of pages: 67 pages (EN 474-1:2022 definitive text).

Scope

This standard specifies the general safety requirements common to two or more families of earth‑moving machinery described in EN ISO 6165:2012, excluding horizontal directional drills. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the machine‑specific parts EN 474‑2 to EN 474‑13; those parts supplement or modify the general requirements where necessary. The standard addresses significant hazards, hazardous situations and events relevant to earth‑moving machinery during the whole foreseeable lifecycle and identifies hazards excluded from the scope (for example laser and lightning). It does not set performance requirements for safety‑related functions of control systems nor for main electrical circuits when the primary energy source is external electrical supply.

Key topics and requirements

• Operator protection and ergonomics: operator station layout, field of view, seats, heating/defrosting, emergency exits and operator information (manuals and markings).
• Protective structures: ROPS / falling‑object protection requirements and references to relevant ISO/EN test methods.
• Controls and human–machine interface: starting/stopping systems, pedals, control panels, placement of activation/deactivation controls within operator’s zone of comfort.
• Lifting, load and stability: requirements for lifting devices, overload warning devices, load capacity indicators, rated capacity limiting devices, and static/dynamic lift testing (Annex C).
• Mechanical, hydraulic and guarding measures: guarding of moving and hot parts, hydraulic hoses and piping, access systems, safe maintenance provisions and lockable tool storage.
• Noise information and verification: declaration of sound power and operator station sound pressure where required, and measures for noise reduction.
• Verification and testing: verification methods (visual, measurement, functional test, calculation, special verification) for the safety requirements in Clause 4 and normative annexes.
• Documentation and lifecycle safety: operator’s manual content, marking and maintenance instructions to manage residual risks throughout the machine’s life.

Typical use and users

Primary users include machine manufacturers and designers (for product development and conformity assessment), technical / safety engineers (for risk assessment and CE marking support), test laboratories and certification bodies (for verification and ROPS/testing), fleet owners and maintenance teams (for understanding operator information, maintenance access and safety labels), and regulatory compliance officers. The standard is used for design reviews, machine validation testing, preparing operator manuals, and establishing maintenance and inspection procedures.

Related standards

EN 474 is a multi‑part series; EN 474-1:2022 is the general part and must be used alongside the relevant specific parts EN 474‑2 to EN 474‑13 (requirements for tractor‑dozers, loaders, backhoe‑loaders, hydraulic excavators, dumpers, scrapers, graders, pipelayers, trenchers, compactors, cable excavators and rollers). Related standards referenced for test methods and ergonomics include EN ISO 12100 (risk assessment), ISO/EN standards for seats, ROPS, access and signalling, and other referenced ISO standards cited in the normative bibliography.

Keywords

earth‑moving machinery, safety, EN 474, BS EN 474-1:2022, operator protection, ROPS, lifting device, overload warning, controls, guarding, maintenance, CE marking, machine safety, ergonomics, noise emission.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: EN 474-1:2022 (published nationally as BS EN 474-1:2022 and adopted by national bodies) is the European general‑requirements standard for safety of earth‑moving machinery, titled "Earth‑moving machinery — Safety — Part 1: General requirements."

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers common safety requirements applicable to multiple families of earth‑moving machines — operator protection, controls, protective structures (ROPS), lifting and load safety, guarding, maintenance access, noise information and documentation — to be used together with the machine‑specific EN 474 parts. It explicitly excludes some items such as horizontal directional drills, certain demolition equipment requirements and performance requirements for safety‑related control functions.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Machine manufacturers, design and safety engineers, conformity assessment bodies, test laboratories, fleet and maintenance managers, and regulatory/compliance personnel use this standard for product design, safety verification, testing and preparation of operator documentation.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: EN 474-1:2022 is the current edition that replaced EN 474-1:2006+A6:2019. National adoptions such as BS EN 474-1:2022 reflect the 2022 European text. Draft amendments or corrigenda (for example a proposed amendment A1) have been registered for later enquiry/development; users should confirm whether a later amendment has been published by their national standards body before finalising compliance decisions.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — EN 474 is a multipart series. Part 1 is general requirements and is intended to be used in combination with EN 474‑2 through EN 474‑13, each of which contains requirements specific to a machine family (e.g., hydraulic excavators, loaders, graders, etc.).

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: earth‑moving machinery, machine safety, EN 474, general requirements, operator protection, ROPS, lifting device, overload warning, controls, guarding, maintenance, noise emission.