UKCA Updates: Simplified Compliance and New Deadlines for Businesses

Update on the UKCA marking/label

The UK government has announced a range of simplifications for businesses to apply new product conformity markings for most products placed on the UK market, i.e. England, Scotland and Wales.
The ‘UK Conformity Assessed’ (UKCA) marking is a mandatory mark on certain products, to indicate that they conform to the UK legislation.

Businesses have until 1 January 2023 to start using the UKCA marking which replaces the European CE-marking after Brexit, i.e. when UK left the EU.

The marking shall allow the UK to have control over its goods regulations and maintain their high product standards.

To make it simpler for businesses to adopt UKCA marking, the UK government has announced, amongst other, the following measures:

• Reduced costs by enabling manufacturers to apply the UKCA mark on the products without the need for re-testing
• Removing the need to re-test existing imported stock by allowing CE marked products that are manufactured and imported into the UK by the end of 2022 to be sold, without the need to meet UKCA requirements.
• Continuing to accept spare parts onto the UK market which comply with the same requirements that were in place at the time the original products or systems they were being used to repair, replace or maintain were placed on the market.
• Extending labelling measures to allow important information and other UKCA marking to be added to products using a sticky label or an accompanying document (until 31 December 2025).
  More complete information may be seen here.

- New UK designated standards for Low Voltage- and Radio equipment

The UK government has provided Proposed Designated Standards Lists which can be used to show that the following types of products, comply with essential requirements of the relevant GB regulations:

• Low voltage equipment
• Radio equipment
• Toys
• Measuring instruments

The lists are planned published on 8 September this year, and will have a 28-day consultation period.

With respect to the UK Radio Equipment Designated Standards List, it is expected that this update aligns with the EU RED (Radio Equipment Directive) harmonized standard list, which was updated earlier this year.

(Article is based on text provided by Vina Kerai, edited by T.Sollie)