This document specifies safety requirements and measures for the verification of the design and construction of hand-held, integrally-driven combustion engine hedge trimmers (hereafter referred to as "hedge trimmers") designed to be used by a single operator for trimming hedges and bushes while utilizing one or more linear reciprocating cutter blades.

This document is also applicable to "split-boom" type hedge trimmers and to multi-purpose machines when configured as a hedge trimmer.

It establishes methods for the elimination or reduction of hazards arising from the use of the hedge trimmers. In addition, it specifies the type of information to be provided by the manufacturer on safe working practices.

This document deals with all significant hazards, hazardous situations and events relevant to powered hand-held hedge trimmers when they are used as intended and under the conditions of misuse that are reasonably foreseeable by the manufacturer (see Clause 4).

This document is not applicable to hedge trimmers with an engine displacement over 80 cm³, nor is it applicable to hedge trimmers manufactured before the date of its publication.