Achieving clarity, step by step The scope and type of CE and UKCE assessment is wide and dependent on product and regulatory requirements. For example, regulations applying to certain product areas require prescriptive approaches to compliance. These include, the safety of toys, simple pressure vessels, electromagnetic compatibility, and gas appliances. There are separate guidelines for medical equipment, railway interoperability, construction products and explosives for civil use. These products require a third-party conformity assessment carried out by a recognised inspection body. To comply with the new product markings, manufacturers who previously sold CE marked products must now comply with the requirements of UKCA. The same standards will apply at least initially, but for UKCA certifications, manufacturers will need to rely on a UKCA-approved body, established in Great Britain and designated by the UK government. To date, there
have not been any material changes regarding the required safety, technical and compliance standards themselves, although this may change in the future. When a product is certified, the inspection data is stored in a file. These files are kept for 10 years and regulators can check the product’s compliance at any point if they need to. For other products, regulatory requirements are less reliant on third party conformity assessment and covered in manufacturer Declarations of Conformity (DoC). Here, compliance with mandatory technical requirements is demonstrated within technical documentation that accompanies the DoC. This will contain information such as a brief description of the product, testing outputs and evidence of design performance. If a company requires a mandatory third-party conformity assessment for CE marked goods, it will have to do the same for UKCA-marked goods. These assessments must be carried out by an accredited UKCA approved
body, and the procedure is the same as for the CE marking. If self-declaration of conformity was allowed for the CE marking, this applies to the UKCA marking too.
Guiding European businesses to a win-win An important point to consider is the fact that the UKCA mark will not be recognised in the EU – and after January 1, 2022, for new products, the CE marking will also not be recognised in the UK. This means products currently requiring CE marking for sale in the EU will continue to require CE marking. Some assessment bodies, however, may be able to grant double EU an UKCA certifications, if like NMi, they are a formal presence in both Europe and the UK. Fully understanding the new UKCA marking, enabled by specialists like NMi, allows European businesses to start from a position of knowledge and clarity, rather than being baffled by bureaucracy. It is a win-win situation. europeanbusinessmagazine.com 19
