The UK government announced today (2nd August 2023) a review of the UK’s product safety regime. The document is here. Closing date for responses is 24th October 2023. You will see that what is being considered is a cross-cutting risk based categorisation for UKCA marked product, amongst other proposals.
Some CE marked goods will continue to circulate indefinitely in the GB market as announced yesterday (two blog posts on the matter). Note the indefinite CE mark recognition announcement is limited to the goods covered by 18 regulations under the remit of the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Here is the CE marking Brexit guidance again.
CE marked goods will circulate indefinitely in Northern Ireland by reason of the agreement reached between the UK and the EU. Note CE marked goods circulating in Northern Ireland attested by a body in the UK must be marked UK(NI) as well as the CE mark.
A separate consultation (closing date 24th October 2023) is announced for domestic upholstered furniture (fire safety) here. Note: existing legislation applies throughout the UK, accordingly changes to the regime will also apply in Northern Ireland. New Regulations are proposed, and are set out in the consultation document. You will see the proposal is for these new rules to apply from 1st October 2024, with a transitional period to 1 April 2026.
Obligations in the new rules will be assigned to the various economic actors in the supply chain. Please read the obligations carefully. Note the flame retardant technology hierarchy.
In the EU, upholstered furniture fire safety is regulated by the General Product Safety Directive, this Directive applies in Northern Ireland. But upholstered furniture falls within the EU’s group of “non-harmonised goods”. In addition, the UK has Internal Market legislation. The UK government asserts that the new rules would not only apply in Northern Ireland but also to EU imports to Northern Ireland (including from Ireland).
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