The UK government makes it easier for businesses to apply new product safety markings

The UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking is a mandatory marking on certain products. From 1 January 2023, businesses will have to apply UKCA marking which replaces the CE and reverse epsilon markings.

On 20 June, the UK government announced a range of changes to make it easier for businesses to apply new product conformity markings for most products placed on the market in England, Scotland, and Wales.

The new measures:

• Will reduce re-testing costs for UKCA certification, by allowing conformity assessment activities for CE marking completed by 31 December 2022 to be used by manufacturers as the basis for UKCA marking. This will reduce the immediate costs faced by manufacturers and will be valid until the expiry of their certificate or for 5 years (31 December 2027), whichever is sooner. This will reduce duplication and costs for businesses and by extension, consumers.

• Will make clear there is no need to re-test existing imported stock, as these products will be considered already placed on the market in Great Britain (GB). This will prevent the costly, and unnecessary re-labelling of existing stock for businesses.

• Will make clear that spare parts that repair, replace, or maintain goods already on the GB market can meet the same requirements that were in place at the time the original product or system was placed on the GB market. This will allow products and goods requiring spare parts to continue to be maintained.

• Will continue to allow businesses to affix the UKCA marking and to include importer information for products from EEA countries (and in some cases Switzerland) on an accompanying document or label until 31 December 2025. This will allow businesses to adjust their product design to accommodate marking changes at a convenient and cost-effective time.

These changes do not apply to medical devices, construction products, cableways, unmanned aircraft systems, transportable pressure equipment, rail products, and marine equipment. The departments responsible for these sectors are making sector-specific arrangements.

The updates have been published on GOV.UK, Using the UKCA marking and Placing manufactured goods on the market in GB.

More information:
Anja Jerovšek
E-mail: anja.jerovsek@siq.si
Tel.: +386 1 4778 147