CE Marking
The ‘CE’ mark is placed on many products within the European Economic Area (EEA) to indicate a product’s compliance with EU legislation’s to allow free movement within the European “single market”.
The CE mark is a declaration by the manufacturer that these products meet the EU legislative requirements for safety, health, or environmental protection. In the case of distributors or importers of products made outside of the EEA, you must take steps to ensure that the manufacturer has taken the necessary steps to ensure compliance, and that a CE mark is correctly applied.
To place a CE mark on a product, the responsible body / party must assess the product and check it’s conformity against the essential requirements of the identified applicable directives; this is referred to as the ‘conformity assessment procedure’.
EMC Assessment
Compliance to the EMC Directive is demonstrated by performing an EMC Assessment to ensure the essential requirements are met. Four methods of assessment are possible:
· Application of the EMC harmonised standards
· An EMC assessment where no harmonised standards have been applied and the manufacturer applies alternative methodology or uses equivalent standards (such as Defence Standards)
· Mixed assessments, combining the two methods above
· Theoretical assessment
For some products it is necessary to involve an EU Notified Body (or UK Appointed Body) to apply the appropriate marking. However, Self-Certification is an acceptable approach for all products being assessed against the EMC Directive.
Regardless of the approach, Technical Documentation is required to provide evidence that the essential requirements have been considered and met. EMC Hire’s experienced engineers can assist with the self-certification process, including the generation of necessary technical documentation.
UKCA Marking
The UKCA (United Kingdom Conformity Assessed) mark is a new UK product mark that is used for goods being placed on the market in Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland). It applies to most goods which previously required the CE marking.
The UKCA mark will not be recognised outside of Great Britain and products will still need to bear the CE mark to be sold in the EU.
Note – the UKCA mark alone cannot be used for goods placed on the Northern Ireland market, which require the CE mark or UKNI mark.
Like the CE mark, the UKCA mark is a declaration by the manufacturer that the product complies with appropriate UK legislative requirements for safety, health, or environmental protection.
From 1 January 2022, a UKCA mark must be used to sell a product in Great Britain.
The process for applying a UKCA mark is (currently) the same as a CE mark. All EMC standards are the same, and risk assessments, test data and technical files can be written to cover both requirements. The only change will be the logo on the product and the wording in the Declaration of Conformity.
Products being sold in the EU as well as Great Britain will continue to need the CE logo so many products will have both the UKCA mark and the CE logo on them.
Products intended for the Defence market are not exempt from the EMC Directive and must be assessed against the CE or UKCA requirements.
Summary
· The UKCA mark came into effect on 1 January 2021.
· The ability to self-certify a product is unchanged under the UKCA process.
· The requirement for a third-party assessment is unchanged under the UKCA process.
· UK-based EU Notified Bodies are no longer accepted in the EU, and any certificates issued by those bodies are invalid.
· UK-based EU Notified Bodies will automatically be converted to UK Appointed Bodies. They will perform the same activities but for the GB Regulations only.
· The EU market will not accept a product bearing only the UKCA mark; it must also carry the CE mark.
· From 1 January 2022, the GB market will not accept a product bearing only the CE mark; it must also carry the UKCA mark.
· The UKCA mark will not be recognised in Northern Ireland: either a CE mark or UKNI mark is required.
How EMC Hire can help
EMC Hire have a range of products for performing tests against the Essential Requirements of the EMC Directive to attain either a CE or UKCA mark. Our engineers and consultants can provide advice and guidance on the requirements for your product, the self-declaration process, and any tests that can be performed on your own premises.
All test systems can be hired for use on your premises, or alternatively EMC Hire have a customer testing area that can be used. The test equipment will be fully configured prior to your arrival, allowing you to set up your device under test (DUT) and begin testing immediately. You will also benefit from having the EMC Hire engineers on site to answer any queries.
Where multiple requirements are to be met, EMC Hire and our partners can assist with performing a gap analysis to ensure the most efficient test programme is applied, avoiding duplication of test methods.
