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PSSA
Feature
ISSUE 14
February 2017
|
NEWS
Considering the Importance
of Product Compliance in the EU
Ever increasing levels of product-related
legislation are affecting organisations and
their products across the world.
Your objective should be to understand,
which if any, regulatory or legislative
requirements your customer expects your
products to meet. This in itself can be a daunting
task if you are unfamiliar with the application,
implementation and use of published
documents commonly known as standards.
Quality and safety compliance with
national and professional standards represent
some of the most important requirements for
products to be accepted into the market you
are targeting.
Creating an understanding of the technical
product requirements of your target market is a
crucial part of your international trade activities.
It starts with making the subject part of
your initial MARKET APPRAISAL. Addressing
the issues at the outset could avoid
expensive mistakes or delays later in the
process. You should address both voluntary
and mandatory requirements and understand
the costs and time associated with gaining
the appropriate approvals. Understanding
this will put you in a stronger position
with potential partners and improve your
reputation and image.
If you are designing a product specifically
for a new market you will also find it
significantly more cost effective to design
the requirements in rather than modify the
product at a later stage.
As a manufacturer and/or distributor of
product there are two important areas you
must consider:
1. Market Access
To demonstrate compliance you will need to:
• Comply with the legal requirements that
affect your product.
• Comply with local standards.
• Have an independent test report or
self-certify that your product meets the
requirements.
• Show that the product is manufactured
within a quality assured management
system. (such as ISO 9001:2015)
2. Market Acceptance
For a product to be successful, in addition to
complying with legal requirements, it must
be acceptable to the market. Customers
and users may well demand approvals and
reassurance that are additional to the legal
requirements. An example would be Germany
where approval by TUV, a German test house,
which issue a mark of conformity known
as the GS, (General Safety) and is widely
recognized across the globe and within
commercial circles. TUV and the application of
a GS mark to the product are often specified
by users and distributors. One of the most
important considerations when planning
your export programme adopt a simple
Market Access Programme this will prove
invaluable when discussing product sales
with prospective new clients.
As state-of-art develops across all sectors
and new products appear it is feasible that
goods will start to fall outside the scope of
specific Directives. The General Product Safety
Directive (GPSD) is the catch all safety net
intended to protect consumer health and
safety and applies to all new and second hand
goods in the region that are not covered by
their own sector specific legislation.
The CPSD does not cover products that
have their own specific EU harmonised
legislation e.g. electrical products covered by
the Low Voltage Directive(LVD) and products
intended for export outside the EU.
It must be stressed that the safety of
products should be assed taking into
consideration all the of the relevant aspects
even if formal standards and rules do not exist
which cover the product in the EU. Producers
can validate their products against a number
of different regional codes and advice.
European legislation is evolving none more
so than the impact of Brexit upon British
manufacturers/producers. The supply chain
needs to be aware of the shifts and changes
in their obligations with two such recent
examples being the EU Low Voltage Directive
(LVD) appropriate for electrical products and
the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive
(EMC) both of which came into effect on the 20
April 2016.
PSSA members can seek further help and
advice from Mike Webb on 07867 952116 or
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