Context card
Instructions for use: one manual or a set of information products?
Do "instructions for use" mean one user manual or a collection of documents?
The short answer
Either. IEC/IEEE 82079-1:2019 uses "information for use" as the generic term and allows it to consist of several information products, each selected and delivered for a target audience: an operating manual, a maintenance manual, quick guides, safety leaflets, online help. For a machine or an integrated line the set usually also contains supplier documentation. The set leaves the manufacturer, and a copy of it remains in the technical file.
For: Technical writers, documentation managers, product managers and integrators of machinery
Key points
- IEC/IEEE 82079-1:2019 made "information for use" the generic term: it covers more than instructions to perform.
- Its content is conceptual, instructional and reference information, chosen for the target audiences and their expected tasks and goals.
- One product can come with several information products in different media for operators, maintenance staff, installers and others.
- Under the Machinery Regulation, instructions may be digital; a paper copy is free on request at the time of purchase, and non-professional users get essential safety information on paper.
- The instructions are also part of the manufacturer’s technical documentation, so the set is external and part of the internal record at once.
- Medical devices follow their own rules on labelling and instructions for use, including conditions for electronic instructions.
The context
A generic term on purpose
The second edition of IEC/IEEE 82079-1 (2019) introduced information for use as the generic term, because the content covers more than steps to follow. It distinguishes conceptual information (what the product is and how it works), instructional information (procedures) and reference information (data looked up when needed). The information has to be usable and relevant for the target audiences with respect to their expected tasks and goals, and it may consist of several information products, selected and delivered in different media for different audiences.
So "the instructions for use" can be a single operating manual for a household product, or a documentation set for a machine: operating manual, maintenance and service manuals, installation instructions, spare parts catalogue, safety leaflet, HMI help and the documentation of purchased components. For an integrated line, the integrator adds line-level information on top of the documentation of each machine.
What machinery law adds
From January 20, 2027, Article 10(7) of the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 requires machinery to be accompanied by instructions for use and the information of Annex III, which may be supplied in digital form. At the request of the user at the time of purchase, the manufacturer provides them on paper free of charge within one month. Where machinery is intended for non-professional users, or can reasonably be expected to be used by them, the safety information essential for putting it into service and using it safely is supplied on paper. Digital instructions must be downloadable for offline use and remain accessible for the expected lifetime of the machinery and at least ten years after it was placed on the market.
Handed over and kept
The instructions are also listed in the technical documentation of Annex IV (technical file). The set is therefore external — it goes to the operator — and part of the manufacturer's internal record at the same time. Splitting it into several products changes neither: every product of the set belongs to the instructions, and none of them can be left out because another document covers the topic for a different audience.
Questions readers ask next
- Can a manufacturer split the instructions into several documents?
- Yes. IEC/IEEE 82079-1 allows several information products for different target audiences, as long as together they provide the necessary information.
- Are supplier manuals part of the instructions for use?
- They are usually part of the documentation set the operator receives. The manufacturer of the machine remains responsible for the instructions of the machine as a whole.
- Does a digital set remove the need for paper?
- Not always. Under the Machinery Regulation users can request a free paper copy at the time of purchase, and non-professional users receive essential safety information on paper.
Sources
- IEC/IEEE 82079-1:2019 Preparation of information for use (instructions for use) of products – Part 1 — IEC, 29 May 2019
- Information for use of products — tcworld magazine, 2 October 2026
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery — EUR-Lex, 29 June 2023
- New Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 — tekom, 2 October 2026
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