OPSS
Sector-by-sector product-safety guidance, marking requirements and responsible-authority routes.
Official sourceEnergy & Energy Storage · United Kingdom
Identify the market and product category first. Each dossier separates legal duties, referenced standards, evidence and the comparison needed for an award.
Jurisdiction & Product Scope
For Great Britain, check the current CE-recognition or UKCA route for the particular legislation; recognition is not a blanket rule for every sector. Northern Ireland follows its applicable EU product rules, with CE and, where relevant, UKNI requirements.
Market-specific Review
- Record the destination territory, supplier role, product function and placing-on-market date before choosing the marking route.
- Check designated standards and the sector’s current recognition provisions; retain the edition and transition basis used.
- Where an approved or notified body is needed, verify its territorial status and specific assessment scope; UKAS accreditation serves a different function.
- Combine safety reports with required declarations, security statements, furniture fire evidence or water approvals as applicable; one report does not replace them all.
Regulatory Basis
GB · GB product-specific legislation; General Product Safety Regulations 2005; NI EU rules
Great Britain and Northern Ireland: product rules and marking
Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland is a separate product-regulatory jurisdiction. For a consumer product, first identify sector legislation and residual general-safety duties. UKCA, CE and UKNI are different routes, not alternative designs for the same award badge.
GB · Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, SI 2016/1101
Electrical equipment safety in Great Britain
Electrical equipment designed or adapted for 50–1,000 V AC or 75–1,500 V DC, subject to the Regulations’ exclusions. Radio safety has its own route. Household and workplace equipment are both covered; plugs, conversion plugs and sockets can have separate UK requirements.
GB · Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016, SI 2016/1091
Electromagnetic compatibility in Great Britain
Apparatus and fixed installations within the EMC definitions. Distinguish non-radio equipment from radio equipment, and actual domestic or industrial environments. Installation-specific arrangements do not automatically exempt equipment sold generally.
GB · Radio Equipment Regulations 2017, SI 2017/1206
Radio equipment in Great Britain
Equipment intentionally transmitting or receiving radio waves for communication or radiodetermination. Final-product configuration, antennas, operating bands and the intended jurisdiction determine the assessment; module-level evidence is supporting evidence only.
GB · RoHS Regulations 2012, SI 2012/3032
Restricted substances in electrical equipment: GB and NI
Covered electrical/electronic equipment, cables and spare parts, with category exclusions and exemptions. Concentrations are assessed at homogeneous-material level. GB exemption decisions and NI’s EU-based exemptions require separate checks.
GB · UK REACH; GB CLP; Northern Ireland EU REACH/CLP
UK REACH restrictions and GB chemical classification
Articles, substances and mixtures trigger different requirements. Identify GB or NI, actual chemical identity, material, contact scenario and professional/consumer use. Finished textiles, footwear and plastics often require restriction screening, while paints and adhesives can additionally require mixture classification and labels.
GB · Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, SI 2008/1597
Machinery supply and safety in Great Britain
Covered machinery, safety components, interchangeable equipment and partly completed machinery. Identify the specific machine and whether it is a finished product, incorporation component or substantial modification; workplace-use obligations remain separate from supply requirements.
GB · GB Batteries Regulations 2008; NI EU 2023/1542 and 2026 enforcement rules
Batteries and accumulators: current GB/NI split
Batteries of different shapes, chemistries and uses, including batteries incorporated in appliances. GB and NI now have expressly distinct placing-on-market regimes; complete product safety, transport and waste-producer duties remain additional questions.
GB · PSTI Act 2022; Security Requirements Regulations 2023, SI 2023/1007
Consumer connectable products: baseline security duties
Relevant consumer products connectable to the internet or a network, with listed exemptions. Check special exclusions for certain NI products, vehicle categories, EV charge points, medical devices, smart meters and specified computers. Wireless and physical safety remain separate obligations.
GB · GB type-approval scheme for M, N, O vehicles and components
GB vehicle type approval and Northern Ireland approvals
The GB scheme covers the 2018/858-based M, N and O framework and related systems/components. Different arrangements apply to other vehicle categories. A GB approval is not valid for NI, where EU or UK(NI) approvals must be used.
GB · Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, SI 2016/1105
Pressure equipment safety in Great Britain
Covered pressure equipment and assemblies with PS above 0.5 bar, with category boundaries, exclusions and sound-engineering-practice cases. In-service pressure-system duties are separate from placing equipment on the market.
Applicability depends on the product classification, intended use, configuration and actual sales territory. Manufacturing, placing-on-the-market and testing dates, together with transition provisions, are checked as required by each applicable rule. The directory identifies sources; it does not replace assessment of the specific model. Standards are identified by reference, and their authoritative texts remain with the issuing bodies. Official source documents retain their original language.