9 February 2018
Failing to comply with regulations and standards could be a matter of life and death. The Conformité Européenne (CE) mark is a reassuring symbol that indicates products such as toys, electrical items and construction products have been tested to high standards and don't put the public's health and safety at risk.
It is important for manufacturers and distributors to be aware of their legal responsibilities in this area. Trading standards experts have published a new video guide for businesses on CE marking, to ensure consumers and businesses are protected.
Those that fail to conformity assess and CE mark their products risk exposing consumers to serious harm and could face enforcement action from market surveillance authorities such as trading standards. This could mean their products will be removed from the EU market and they could face a fine or imprisonment for non-compliance.
Chief Executive of CTSI, Leon Livermore, said: "Unsafe and dangerous products put UK citizens' lives at risk. CE marking is a valuable tool in enabling trading standards to ensure goods sold in the UK meet the highest standards."
Talking about the importance of CE marking, especially with Brexit on the horizon, Natasha Crookes, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at the British Toy and Hobby Association, said: "CE marking has been a way of keeping consumers safe for decades. It is important as it helps to identify toys that have been made to an incredibly high standard of safety requirements.
"As the mark is linked to membership of the European Single Market we would also encourage Government to be thinking about retaining, or exploring alternatives to, the CE marking as part of Brexit discussions, so that the UK does not become a dumping ground for unsafe toys if we can no longer rely on a CE marking."
For more information on CE marking see the 'Product safety' Quick Guide and its associated In-depth Guides.