HARDWARE & SECURITY
CPR , Brexit and the UKCA Mark
On 1 September the UK Government published new guidance providing practical information for placing construction products on the market from the end of the transition period on the 31 December 2020 . It focuses particularly on CE and UKCA marking .
» DOUGLAS MASTERSON , technical manager at the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers ( GAI ) summarises the key issues from this new government guidance .
Advice in this article mainly relates to Great Britain . It therefore excludes Northern Ireland , but separate information will be released in due course as the rules relating to product marking and Construction Products Regulation ( CPR ) will be different according to the Northern Ireland Protocol .
This article is based on guidance issued by BEIS ( UK Department for Business , Energy & Industrial Strategy ) and may differ in some areas for construction products so further clarification from MHCLG is awaited . However , this article gives good guidance on the direction of travel from the UK Government .
It is also worth noting that this briefing is based on UK Government advice which sets out the Government ’ s intentions as to what the forthcoming legislation will say . This legislation needs to be approved by Parliament so may change . All information given is only correct at time of going to press .
‘ Products currently requiring a CE marking will still need CE marking for sale in the EU from 1 January 2021 ’
Placing construction products on the GB market
The UKCA ( UK Conformity Assessed ) marking is a new UK product marking that will be used for goods being placed on the market in Great Britain . It covers most goods which previously required CE marking . The UKCA marking alone cannot be used for goods placed on the Northern Ireland market , which will require the CE marking and / or new UKNI marking , with further detail to follow .
Businesses will be able to use the UKCA mark from 1 January 2021 . To allow time to adjust , some CE marked goods that meet EU requirements may continue to be placed on the UK market . This arrangement will end on 1 January 2022 and all should ensure they are prepared for the new system before it comes into effect .
It will be necessary to prepare for the end of recognition of the CE mark in Great Britain and to affix the UK marking using a UKrecognised ‘ approved body ’. From 1 January 2021 , UK notified bodies currently operating under the EU Construction Products Regulation 2011 and based in the UK will be granted new UK ‘ approved body ’ status and listed on a new UK database .
To provide sufficient time for businesses to transition to the new requirements , products can continue to be placed on the UK market without any need for reassessment or re-marking if EU requirements are met ( including CE marking ). Any third-party conformity assessment must continue to be carried out by an EU-recognised notified body until 1 January 2022 .
Products that meet UK requirements and bear the UKCA mark can only be placed on the GB market if third-party assessments have been carried out by a UK approved body .
From 1 January 2022 , CE marking will not be recognised in Great Britain for areas covered by this guidance and the UKCA marking . However , a product bearing the CE marking would still be valid for sale in the UK so long as it was also UKCA marked and complied with the relevant UK rules . Be aware also that the UKCA marking will not be recognised on the EU market . Products currently requiring a CE marking will still need CE marking for sale in the EU from 1 January 2021 .
For an individual product already circulating on the market in Great Britain prior to the end of the transition period , no additional action is needed . A certificate issued by an EU notified body that was valid immediately before that date continues to be valid for the purposes of the Great British market .
All existing harmonised European standards will become UK ‘ designated standards ’. This will mean that immediately after the end of the transition period , harmonised European standards and UK designated standards will be identical . The UK government will publish and maintain the list of these designated standards on a UK Database .
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SEP / OCT 2020
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