When are retained fastenings for fixed guards required?

The new Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC contains a requirement regarding fixed guards which has raised questions. The new part of the directive is a requirement which states that the fastenings must remain attached to the guard or the machinery when the guards are removed. But when is this requirement actually applicable?

The answer is that this requirement only refers to the parts of the guard that needs to be removed during cleaning or maintenance.

Here you can read more about retained fastenings and how you should interpret the requirement.