Monthly Archives: October 2021

Industry News

What businesses need to know about the UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) marking

Posted on by HICS
ukca
12
Oct

As a result of the UK leaving the EU, there has been changes to how businesses place manufactured goods on the market.

What is the UKCA marking?

The UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) marking is the new UK product marking that is used for goods being placed on the market in Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland). It must be used to show that the goods are compliant with the UK regulations. The UKCA marking covers most goods which previously required the CE marking.

Who needs to use the UKCA marking?

Those who are selling goods within Great Britain, and previously needed the CE mark, will need to use the UKCA marking. Please note that the UKCA marking applies to goods that have previously needed the CE mark and additionally it is needed on aerosols which previously needed a ‘reverse epsilon’ marking.

When did the UKCA marking come into effect?

The UKCA marking came into effect on 1st January 2021.

When do businesses have to start using the UKCA marking?

Businesses have been able to use the UKCA marking ever since it came into effect on 1st January 2021.

However, businesses must use the UKCA marking from 1st January 2023. It has been confirmed that until then, in most cases, businesses can use the CE marking.

What do businesses need to do?

There are 5 key steps that businesses must take:

  1. Check if your product needs the UKCA marking. You can check this by clicking here.
  2. Check what the most appropriate route is for your business for conformity assessment. Some businesses will need to self-declare or use third party conformity assessment. You can check this by clicking here.
  3. If your business requires third party conformity assessment, identify an appropriate notified body. You can do this by clicking here.
  4. Draft the technical documentation and Declaration of Conformity. The UK Declaration of Conformity attests that the manufacturer or authorised representatives have ensured the safety of the product.
  5. Affix the UKCA marking and prepare to place your goods on the market.

For further information on the UKCA marking, please click here.

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Information & Advice

Consumers Beware: Some Installers are Falsely Claiming HICS Membership

Posted on by HICS
06
Oct

As a consumer it is important to research the installer that you are going to use for your home improvement project as you want to be sure that they have the memberships that they say that they have. Unfortunately, there are some installers that falsely claim to be a member of HICS. If this has happened to you as a consumer or if you suspect an installer is purporting a HICS membership, please read on for our advice on what to do.

1. If an installer is claiming to be a HICS member, submit the details to the HICS team via the HICS website.

In the first instance, please check if the installer is a HICS member by submitting a contact form via the HICS website. You can do this by going to the contact page on the HICS website.

To do this, please select ‘Check a member’ on the request type within the contact form, fill in the required fields, type your message, and click send. This sends your request to the HICS support team and one of the team will get back to you as soon as possible with any further information.

2. Send HICS evidence that the installer is trying to mislead consumers.

Should we find that the installer is not a HICS member, please email us any proof you may have of their supposed HICS membership. This is important so that we can take necessary further action regarding the false claims by the installer.

If you are unsure if your installer is telling the truth and holds a HICS membership, we urge you to please double check with us. Our aim is to protect consumers from rogue traders so if you suspect that an installer has falsely claimed HICS membership, please let us know straight away using the methods outlined above.

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