The CE mark has been a longstanding feature of products in the European market. The CE mark is a legal requirement for not just architectural ironmongery, but a whole host of other products, as a way of certifying that the product has reached the EU’s safety, health or environmental requirements. It is an indicator of the compliance of a product with EU legislation, and therefore allows the free movement of that product within the European market.
But, as a result of Brexit, the rules regarding the CE mark have changed in Britain.
Where the CE mark is still required for products trading in the European Economic Area (EEA), to trade products in the UK, as of the 1 January 2023, the product will need to be UKCA marked. The CE mark will no longer be recognised as a confirmation of a products compliance to British standards, and so for your architectural ironmongery to meet all of the legal health and safety requirements, it will need to be UKCA marked.
However, this is mostly just an administrative change: the UKCA legislation involves amendments to the current CE rules, rather than a complete overhaul. The British Standards Institution says it is committed to having “harmonised standards” with the CE rules, and so the BSI is unlikely to withdraw EN standards completely – meaning that if your product conforms to CE markings, you’ll only need to make minor changes in order for it to comply to the UK CA markings, too. For example, such amendments include (but are not limited to) changing references to Notified Bodies to Approved Bodies, changing language references to English, and of course replacing the CE mark with the UKCA mark.
Although these changes only seem slight, it is important to understand your responsibility to conform to these new standards. According to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, whilst it is primarily manufacturers and distributors who are responsible for ensuring that products are UKCA marked when they enter the market, professional end users who ‘put goods into service’ can also be subject to compliance obligations. Therefore, it’s important to source your products from a company you can trust, to ensure you won’t be held liable for putting non-conforming products into service.
That’s where we come in.
Here at Em-B, standards compliance is of the utmost importance. We’re a reputable ironmonger who always ensures their products meet all the relevant requirements. But, don’t just take our word for it: we’re proud to be the holder of the number 001 certificate of the RIBA-accredited Guildmark scheme, meaning we were the first company in the world to gain this prestigious approval. Guildmark accreditation, managed by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers, offers architects and specifiers an assurance of quality and professionalism – meaning you won’t have to worry about being held liable for any of our products failing to meet British standards.
Contact a member of the team today by emailing info@em-b.co.uk for more information.
