Six Months To Go: BSI Issues Reminder As UKCA Deadline Approaches

With six months to go before the UKCA marking becomes a requirement, BSI, the business improvement and standards company, has issued a reminder to all manufacturers looking to place relevant regulated products on the Great Britain (GB) market.

UKCA marking will replace traditional CE marking from 1 January 2022 and almost all products that previously required the CE marking will need to have the UKCA marking affixed by an Approved Body. CE marking will cease to be recognized for most products from the 1 January 2022 however, marine equipment, medical devices and IVDs have been granted slightly longer.

Shahm Barhom, Group Product Certification Director at BSI, said: “We have been in a transition period since we left the European Union on 31 January 2020; both the UKCA and the CE marking have been accepted, however from 1 January 2022 this will no longer be the case. Most products placed on the market in Great Britain will require the UKCA marking from next year and the associated testing and certification to support the UKCA marking must be undertaken by a UK Approved Body.

“We are committed to helping our clients build resilience through this new regulatory landscape, however a significant number of manufacturers are yet to apply for UKCA marking. We urge all manufacturers who plan to sell their products in Great Britain next year to act now to avoid disruption to their supply chains.” 

David Reynolds, Technical Director for AGA Rangemaster, said: “It wasn’t a difficult transition as the testing for conformity remains largely unchanged across CE and UKCA marking. As a British manufacturer of range cookers and sinks, it was vital to obtain the UKCA mark for our products to eliminate the risk of disruption for customers. Affixing our products with UKCA marking instils confidence there won’t be any interruptions that will affect customers in the future.

“The technical expertise and knowledge of standards and regulations displayed by BSI made it a smooth and easy process.”

BSI has already issued over 1,000 UKCA certificates to manufacturers. The organizations certified by BSI to date can be viewed in the BSI Verifeye directory.