The Seven Steps of CE Marking Explained: Step 3- Ensure that Safety Regulations are Met

Step 3: Ensure that safety regulations are met

It is the responsibility of the machine manufacturer to comply with the essential health and safety requirements in accordance with Annex I of the Machinery Directive. The formulation of these requirements is relatively abstract, but specifics are provided through the EU standards.
The EU publishes lists of directives and the related harmonized standards. Application of these standards is voluntary, but compliance does provide presumption of conformity with the regulations. This can substantially reduce the amount of evidence required, and a lot less work is needed to incorporate the risk assessment.