The document specifies requirements for the drafting and presentation of European machinery safety standards and standards for safety components, primarily to achieve consistency and acceptable quality throughout the programme of the various standards to be prepared. It also gives requirements on the criteria for the selection of new work items and for procedures to prepare and produce standards in an efficient and effective way. The document gives requirements which are supplementary to the ISO/IEC-Directives Part 3 and their CEN/CLC-supplement when this is necessary because of the special requirements of the machinery safety standards and standards for safety components.