Overview
EN ISO 22867:2021 - "Forestry and gardening machinery - Vibration test code for portable hand-held machines with internal combustion engine - Vibration at the handles" - is a CEN-endorsed ISO standard that defines a harmonized vibration test code for portable, hand‑held forest and garden machines. It covers common equipment such as chain-saws, brush‑cutters, grass‑trimmers, edgers, pole‑mounted pruners, hedge‑trimmers and garden blowers. The standard provides a repeatable method to determine the magnitude of vibration at the handles under standardized (artificial) operating conditions, supplying indicative values relevant to real work situations and supporting low‑vibration design verification.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope and applicability: Portable hand‑held internal‑combustion‑engine machinery used in forestry and gardening.
- Vibration quantities: Specifies which vibration metrics are to be measured and reported (see Clause 4).
- Instrumentation: Requirements for accelerometers, fastening, calibration and speed‑indication systems (Clauses 5 and 6).
- Measurement location and direction: Defined positions on handles and measurement axes to reflect real handling (Clause 6; Annexes provide machine‑specific positions).
- Test and operating conditions: Standardized operating modes and engine speed conditions to ensure comparable results across tests (Clause 7).
- Measurement, calculation and data validity: Procedures for capturing, processing and validating measurement data (Clause 8).
- Reporting and verification: Mandatory information to be reported, methods for declaration and verification of vibration values (Clauses 9–10).
- Machine‑specific annexes: Normative annexes (A–E) for chain‑saws, brush‑cutters/edgers, pole‑mounted pruners, hedge trimmers and garden blowers; Annex F summarizes interlaboratory test results.
Practical applications and users
- Machine manufacturers use EN ISO 22867:2021 to test and verify low‑vibration design choices during product development and for technical documentation.
- Regulators, certification bodies and market surveillance authorities use the standard as a harmonized test method supporting compliance assessment and safety evaluations.
- Health & safety professionals and employers rely on standardized vibration data to assess occupational exposure risks and to inform selection, maintenance and work‑practice controls.
- Test laboratories and research organizations perform standardized measurements for comparative studies, type testing and interlaboratory validation.
Related standards and regulatory links
- Based on and related to ISO 20643 test principles; classified as a type‑C standard under ISO 12100.
- Supports conformity with EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC where cited; CEN has adopted ISO 22867:2021 as EN ISO 22867:2021.
- Contains normative and informative annexes for machine‑specific guidance and interlaboratory data.
Keywords: EN ISO 22867:2021, vibration test code, portable hand‑held machines, internal combustion engine, vibration at the handles, chain‑saw vibration testing, low vibration design, machinery safety, EU Machinery Directive.