Declarations of conformity for Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 are no longer something you send as a random PDF and forget. Under Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, the document has a defined structure, it must reflect the actual conformity assessment procedure, and it may be made available digitally through a web address or a QR code. That sounds easy until somebody asks the questions that always show up in the real world: which version is current, who issued it, was it withdrawn or superseded, and can we verify it next to the machine? The new module in SafetySoftware.eu is built to close that gap. It supports both the declaration of conformity and the declaration of incorporation, generates PDF output, links a signed PDF to the record, and gives the customer a public verification path.
Declarations of conformity for Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 are not just PDFs
In daily practice, a declaration of conformity often ends life as an email attachment. That works right up to the moment it does not. A service technician has an old file. A customer prints the wrong version. An auditor asks whether the document was changed after issue. Market surveillance wants to know who signed it and when. Suddenly the harmless PDF becomes a liability.
That is the core problem this module fixes. The declaration stops being a loose file and becomes a controlled record with a number, status, version, history, a signed PDF artifact, and a public verification page. In other words, the document is managed as part of the conformity process, not as an afterthought at the end of it.
Declarations of conformity for Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 must show the right conformity assessment module
One of the biggest practical changes is support for the conformity assessment procedure logic required by Machinery Regulation 2023/1230. This is not a cosmetic form field. It is not there to make the PDF look more serious. The Regulation requires the declaration of conformity to follow the structure set out in Annex V part A and to include the elements that result from the relevant conformity assessment module.
That means the manufacturer must consciously state which procedure was applied. If that step is vague or wrong, the declaration is weak at its foundation, even if the layout looks perfect.
In SafetySoftware.eu, the user can select one of the expected variants:
- Module A — internal production control
- Module B+C — EU type-examination followed by conformity to type based on internal production control
- Module G — conformity based on unit verification
- Module H — conformity based on full quality assurance
For machinery not listed in Annex I, the default route is generally internal production control, which means Module A. For machinery listed in Annex I part A or part B, the procedure depends on the machinery category and on the conditions set by the Regulation. That distinction matters. A declaration that does not reflect the real conformity assessment procedure is not just incomplete. It can be misleading.
This is why the module does more than format a document. It guides the user through the step that now carries real legal weight: what conformity assessment procedure was used, what module applies, and does the declaration actually show that.
QR code and online access next to the machine
For an issued declaration, the system can generate a public link and a QR code leading to the online verification page. That link can be sent to the customer, added to the technical documentation, placed in the instructions, or used as an additional information carrier near the machine, for example close to the nameplate.
This follows the direction of Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 directly. A manufacturer may provide access to the declaration of conformity through an internet address or a machine-readable code, and the digital declaration is expected to remain available online for the expected lifetime of the machinery and, in any case, for at least 10 years. In practice, that means faster access and fewer excuses. The customer, the service team, the auditor, or the operator does not need to hunt through old email threads. They scan the QR code or open the link and verify the status online.
Structure aligned with Annex V part A
The new module covers the key elements expected for a declaration of conformity under Annex V part A, including:
- identification of the machinery or related product
- manufacturer details
- authorised representative details, where applicable
- declaration number
- subject of the declaration
- reference to the applicable Union harmonisation legislation
- applied harmonised standards, common specifications, or other technical specifications
- the conformity assessment procedure and the relevant conformity assessment module
- details of the notified body, where it took part in the procedure
- place and date of issue
- the person signing the declaration and that person’s function
- additional information required for the specific case
That list is important for one reason above all: under Machinery Regulation 2023/1230, the declaration should show not only what the product complies with, but also how the manufacturer performed the conformity assessment. That is a real shift in documentation discipline.
Signed PDF as a controlled artifact
SafetySoftware.eu allows the user to attach a signed PDF to the declaration. The practical workflow is simple. Generate the declaration, sign it with a qualified electronic signature in the tool of your choice, then upload the signed version back into the system.
Once uploaded, the signed PDF is linked to the specific declaration record and version. The system stores the file name, the SHA-256 checksum, the file size, the signature structure verification status, and the link to the relevant document version. That matters more than many teams realise. Without that link, the signed file often lives somewhere outside the controlled process as a random attachment on a drive, in an inbox, or on a desktop folder called final-final-really-final. That is not control. That is wishful thinking.
By tying the signed PDF to the declaration record, the signed artifact becomes part of the controlled conformity documentation. Clean traceability. Clear ownership. Less room for argument later.
Public verification removes the usual CE uncertainty
When the recipient opens the public link or scans the QR code, they land on a verification page for that declaration. There they can check the basic information: declaration number, version, status, issue date, manufacturer, description of the subject of the declaration, and information about the signed PDF if one has been attached.
This solves one of the most common CE documentation problems: nobody is quite sure whether the customer is holding the current document. In SafetySoftware.eu, the declaration can carry a live status, a visible version, and a public confirmation path. That is not bureaucracy for the sake of it. It is basic control over what document is circulating in the field.
Declarations of conformity for Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 need version control and an audit trail
A declaration of conformity should not be overwritten freely after issue. Once issued, it is a formal manufacturer statement. If it needs to change, the change should happen through re-issue, not silent replacement.
That is why the module distinguishes between draft, issued, withdrawn, and superseded records. If a declaration needs correction after issue, the user goes through a new issue process. The history stays readable: which version was original, which one replaced it, and why the change happened.
This is not just an internal housekeeping benefit. It is a practical line of defence when an audit lands, when a complaint escalates, when market surveillance asks questions, or when a customer dispute turns technical. A clean audit trail will not compensate for weak engineering, but it will show that the conformity process was controlled rather than improvised.
Why this matters to machine manufacturers
The new declaration module helps manufacturers move from the familiar but fragile position of we have some PDF to a structured conformity process that can stand up to scrutiny.
- For the manufacturer, it means better control over formal documents.
- For the customer, it means easier access to the current declaration.
- For the auditor, it means a clearer verification path.
- For service, it means faster document checks at the machine.
- For the CE team, it means less risk that an outdated or incomplete declaration stays in circulation.
The bigger point is this: the declaration of conformity is not treated as a detached end-form. It becomes one part of a wider compliance flow, from risk assessment through requirements, standards, and risk reduction measures to the final controlled manufacturer document. That is how it should work.
What changes for the user in practice
After this update, the user can:
- prepare a declaration of conformity or a declaration of incorporation
- choose the correct document type
- select the applicable legislation and standards
- define the conformity assessment procedure as a mandatory element for a declaration of conformity
- select Module A, Module B+C, Module G, or Module H
- add notified body data where the procedure requires it
- generate the declaration as a PDF
- issue the document as a controlled version
- attach a signed PDF
- share the document with the customer through a public link
- generate a QR code for public verification
- withdraw or supersede the declaration with a new version
- keep the action history on the document
That is a practical improvement, not a cosmetic one. It reduces confusion, shortens retrieval time, and gives the manufacturer a cleaner record of what was issued and why.
Digital CE documentation built for Machinery Regulation 2023/1230
Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 pushes machinery documentation toward more transparency, better control, and broader use of digital form. A declaration of conformity may be made available through a link or machine-readable code, but it still has to remain controlled, current, and verifiable.
That is the direction SafetySoftware.eu is taking. The new module creates conformity documents that are more than static PDFs. They are linked to the project, the version, the conformity assessment procedure, the signed PDF artifact, and a public verification page.
That is where a declaration of conformity needs to end up: formal, current, traceable, and defensible. Not just a file. A controlled manufacturer document that can survive the questions people ask in the real world.