BS EN 474-5-2022 PDF

Full title and description

STB BS EN 474-5:2022 — Earth-moving machinery. Safety. Requirements for hydraulic excavators. This British adoption of the EN 474-5:2022 standard specifies machine-specific safety requirements, protective measures, verification methods and information for use that apply to hydraulic excavators throughout their lifecycle; it is intended to be used together with the general requirements in EN 474-1:2022.

Abstract

This standard sets out safety requirements specific to hydraulic excavators, addressing significant hazards, foreseeable misuse and lifetime considerations. It supplements EN 474-1:2022 by specifying additional or modified provisions for excavators (including compact and large machines, and certain application-specific variants such as log, shovel and grapple applications). The document excludes some hazards (for example laser and lightning) and does not give performance requirements for safety-related control-system functions.

General information

• Status: Published / Current (BS adoption of EN 474-5:2022; harmonized as an hEN in the EU context).
• Publication date: EN publication 29 March 2022; BSI publication (BS EN 474-5:2022) 5 October 2022.
• Publisher: British Standards Institution (BSI) — adoption of the CEN/EN document.
• ICS / categories: 53.100 — Earth-moving machinery.
• Edition / version: 2022 (BS EN 474-5:2022).
• Number of pages: 50.

Scope

Specifies safety requirements and/or protective/risk reduction measures, verification of those measures, and information for use for hydraulic excavators used as intended and under reasonably foreseeable misuse. The standard complements the common requirements in EN 474-1:2022 and does not repeat them; it is not applicable to machines manufactured before the date of publication. It also excludes specific hazards and activities (e.g., laser, lightning, towing trailers, demolition machinery) and does not provide performance requirements for safety-related control functions.

Key topics and requirements

• Machine-specific safety requirements for hydraulic excavators (operator protection, guarding, access, visibility and ergonomics).
• Requirements for operator protective guards and fixing points, with different levels depending on operating mass and application (e.g., log application, shovel application).
• Seat, restraint and vibration provisions (references to EN ISO 7096 and seat spectral classes where applicable).
• Visibility and defrosting requirements for windows to maintain required operator field of view.
• Lifting, attachment (grapple, shovel, magnetic plate) and stability considerations; requirements for ROPS/ROPS-related performance for specified mass ranges.
• Verification, testing and information-for-use requirements (marking, instructions, warnings) to support safe lifecycle use and maintenance.

Typical use and users

Used by manufacturers and designers of hydraulic excavators to design and validate machine safety; conformity-assessment bodies and notified bodies for CE/hEN compliance; test laboratories performing ROPS/OPG and visibility tests; fleet owners, safety managers and site inspectors to verify that equipment meets current safety norms; and procurement teams specifying safe machinery for construction, forestry, demolition (where applicable) and other earth-moving tasks.

Related standards

This part is intended to be used alongside EN 474-1:2022 (general requirements). It references and interacts with international standards such as ISO 12100 (risk assessment and risk reduction principles), ISO 6016 (mass measurement methods), ISO 10262 (operator protective guards), EN ISO 7096 (seat vibration), ISO 5006 (operator field of view) and ISO 12117-2 (ROPS for excavators) among others; users should consult these referenced documents for tests and performance criteria cited in EN 474-5:2022.

Keywords

hydraulic excavator, earth-moving machinery, safety, EN 474, operator protection, ROPS, operator guards, visibility, vibration, conformity, CE marking, information for use

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: BS EN 474-5:2022 is the British adoption of EN 474-5:2022, the machine-specific safety standard that defines requirements for hydraulic excavators (design, protective measures, verification and information for use).

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers hazards and hazardous situations relevant to hydraulic excavators when used as intended or under reasonably foreseeable misuse, specifying protective measures, testing/verification requirements and information for safe operation and maintenance; it supplements the general provisions of EN 474-1:2022 and excludes certain hazards and topics such as lasers and lightning.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Manufacturers, designers, test laboratories, conformity-assessment bodies, safety managers, equipment purchasers and regulatory authorities involved with earth-moving machinery and construction plant.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: Current — EN 474-5:2022 supersedes EN 474-5:2006+A3:2013; the BS adoption (BS EN 474-5:2022) was published in 2022 and is the up-to-date normative reference for hydraulic-excavator safety in the BS/EN framework.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is Part 5 of the EN 474 series (Earth-moving machinery — Safety). The series includes EN 474-1 (general requirements) and other parts addressing different machine types or common requirements; Part 5 is the excavator-specific supplement.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: hydraulic excavator, earth-moving machinery, safety requirements, operator protection, ROPS, operator guards, EN 474-5:2022, conformity, field of view, vibration.