UKCA marking of PPE: the Apave Group, accredited to issue markings of PPE in the UK.

From 1 January 2021, the UKCA marking replaces the CE marking for the circulation of products in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Apave and its subsidiaries have been recognised as a testing and CE marking body for PPE for several years and can now meet the needs of equipment manufacturers wishing to enter the UK market.

From equipment testing to CE and/or UKCA marking

• This new accreditation, obtained by the UK subsidiary PARC, enables the group to offer a full range of services:
• Regulatory support for personal protective equipment (PPE).
• UKCA and/or CE marking for fall protection, head protection, eye and face protection and respiratory protection
• Testing of personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure compliance

Certification of product compliance with PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 (for CE marking) and PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425, as transposed into UK law and amended (for UKCA marking)

There is a one-stop shop to manage all UKCA and/or CE marking requirements and respond centrally to our customers' queries and requirements.

 

Recognised test centres

Apave also has test centres in France and the UK that allow us to test equipment and ensure product compliance.
The Fontaine test centre (38) is a world leader in the certification of fall arrest PPE and the leader in France in fall arrest PPE and respiratory protection. It has the means to perform all the tests required to obtain CE marking: equipment performance evaluations, fatigue tests (tensile, compression, bending, torsion), static and dynamic strength tests (carabiners, welds, etc.), fall tests (lanyards, harnesses, shock absorbers, etc.) and impact tests (helmets).

Since 1999, PARC (Sopemea), a subsidiary of the Apave Group, has been carrying out environmental and industrial tests for a wide range of companies in the UK. The PARC test centre, located in Devon (South West England), performs a wide range of mechanical (vibration, impact, resistance, drop, etc.) and climatic (temperature, humidity, altitude, etc.) tests.
Already accredited by UKAS to test to ISO 17025, PARC has now gained accreditation for product conformity and can now issue such certification to ISO 17065 (scope of accreditation at www.ukas.com) under UKCA requirements for the Personal Protective Equipment and PPE Directive (Regulation (EU) 2016/425, transposed into UK law and amended).

Who is affected?

All companies wishing to sell their products to the UK must apply the new UKCA mark to continue trading.

From 1 January 2021, the UKCA (United Kingdom Conformity Assessment) marking came into force, replacing the CE marking for products intended for the UK market. This new marking is required for products subject to UK legislation equivalent to all EU directives and regulations requiring CE marking, including the radio equipment, electromagnetic compatibility and low voltage directives. From 1 January 2023, in order to sell a product on the UK market, the UKCA mark will be mandatory and the only recognised mark.

Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, the CE marking continues to be accepted in Northern Ireland. This new marking certifies that the product complies with UK legislative requirements and that the appropriate conformity assessment procedures have been carried out.

Contacts for your Module B certificate:

• Fall protection: Vanessa Richard-Hartmann (richard@apave.com) and Laury Daligault (laury.daligault@apave.com)
• Head protection: Cindy Bouin (bouin@apave.com)
• Eye and face protection: Audrey Gregoire (gregoire@apave.com)
• Respiratory protection: Lucas Rouger (rouger@apave.com) and Mélanie Rasolofoniaina (melanie.faniryrasolofoniaina@apave.com)