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    CE Marking Specialists


    A South Wales based Product  Certification and training company, specialising in supporting small to medium enterprises in meeting their CE Marking obligations


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    (Safety) Directives


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Category: Radio Equipment

Radio Equipment Directive (2014/53/EU)

New Office for Product Safety and Standards in the UK

Updated on date by author

The government has today (21 January 2018) announced the creation of a new national oversight body tasked with identifying consumer risks and managing responses to large-scale product recalls and repairs.

The new Office for Product Safety and Standards will enable the UK to meet the evolving challenges of product safety by responding to expanding international trade, the growth in online shopping and the increasing rate of product innovation.

Today’s announcement comes as part of the government’s response to the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety. Established in October 2016 by former Consumer Minister Margot James, the group of product and fire safety experts was brought together to build on the recommendations made by Lynn Faulds Wood in her independent review into consumer product recalls.

In addition to providing support and advice for local authority Trading Standards teams, the office will co-ordinate work across local authorities where action is needed on a national scale and will ensure the UK continues to carry out appropriate border checks on imported products once the UK leaves the European Union.

Business Minister Andrew Griffiths said:

The new Office for Product Safety and Standards will strengthen the UK’s already tough product safety regime and will allow consumers to continue to buy secure in the knowledge there is an effective system in place if products need to be repaired or replaced.

I thank the working group for their efforts to help improve product safety and I look forward to working with them in this new phase.

Neil Gibbins, Chair of the working group, said:

It has been my mission to make the public safe since I joined the fire service nearly 40 years ago. That’s why I’m pleased to see the government respond to our recommendations with concrete steps to ensure the safety of consumers, now and in the future.

The government will continue to work with stakeholders such as consumer groups, manufacturers and retailers to ensure the office coordinates the UK’s product safety regime as effectively as possible.

This will not lessen any of the legal responsibilities that sit with manufacturers, importers and retailers to present safe products to the market, and to take rapid effective action when safety issues arise with their products.

Other actions as part of the government’s response to the working group include:

  • working with the British Standards Institution to provide guidance on product recalls and corrective action
  • conducting research to help manufacturers and retailers develop technological solutions to product marking and identification
  • increasing the reach of Primary Authority to further share business, local authority and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) expertise to help protect consumers
  • researching consumer behaviour to identify the best way to drive up the number of consumers registering appliances with manufacturers
  • creating an expert panel to bring together trade associations, consumer and enforcement representatives to advise on product safety issues as they arise

Notes for editors

  1. The office will be based in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and will start work immediately.
  2. It will work closely with the BEIS Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor John Loughhead, to ensure it has access to cutting-edge scientific and technical expertise.
  3. The Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety was set up by former Consumer Minister Margot James to provide recommendations to improve the recalls process and the safety of consumer products. The group published its report in July 2017.
  4. The Office for Product Safety and Standards will cover general (non-food) consumer product safety. It will not cover vehicles, medicines and medical devices, or workplace equipment, which are already covered by other agencies. This remit is in line with the current responsibilities of BEIS on product safety.
  5. The remit of the office does not cover construction products, which are currently subject to a separate review being led by Dame Judith Hackitt. The government will carefully consider the recommendations of that review when it concludes.
  6. The Office for Product Safety and Standards will have a budget of around £12 million per year when fully operational.
  7. There are no changes to the roles and responsibilities of local authorities or other market surveillance authorities. The office will provide a number of specialist services centrally to support consistent national enforcement, including aspects of product testing and technical expertise.
  8. Primary Authority enables businesses to form a legal partnership with one local authority, which then provides assured and tailored advice on complying with environmental health, trading standards or fire safety regulations that other local regulators must respect.

Link to original article on gov.co.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-new-office-for-product-safety-and-standards

 

 

Posted in CE Marking, EMC Directive, New Standards/Directives, News, Quality management systems, Radio Equipment |

REDCA TGN01 Guidance on radio modules for the Radio Equipment Directive

Updated on date by author

The REDCA have released a useful document outlining how to define a radio module with respect to the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU.

Download the document here TGN01

In short it describes what constitutes as a radio module and how the RED should be applied in relation to its purpose and function.

For example a radio module is:

  • Radio equipment which is also a plug-in device. Intended to be used with or within a host product; creating combined equipment, using the control and power supply of the host product for operation. For example, an internal mini PCI card or a USB dongle
  • Radio equipment module which is intended for installation into a host product. All radio circuitry is contained on the module, including an integral antenna or an antenna connector on the module board. It may use the control and power supply of the host product for operation. It is either soldered or plugged onto the host product and easy to identify as a separate part
  • Radio equipment module which is intended for installation into a host product. All radio circuitry is contained on the module; but the module does not include an integral antenna or an antenna connector. Pins or solder pads are used for connection to a circuit trace on the host product, and the antenna is intended to be placed on the host product. It may use the control and power supply of the host product for operation. It is soldered onto the host product and may take the appearance of an integrated circuit (chip) as part of the host product.

There is also some useful examples shown in Annex A of TGN01 to help clarify .

Next the document gives guidance on what testing should be performed for example:

If the product is defiantly a radio module as described above and is CE marked and RED compliant. Its possible that the final product that hosts the radio module will not require additional RED testing but simply the normal Safety, EMC and radio performance testing.  However care should be taken to install the radio module in the same way as defined by the manufacturers RED compliance guidelines for example consider:

  • Antenna type and gain
  • Antenna assembly, path or configuration
  • Software versions or modifications
  • Installation
  • Type of operation and use
  • Shielding or reflective effects of the host product (if known)
  • All safety aspects.

Also if the host device could effect the performance of the radio module or the application/environment is not as intended then RED may still apply. As with any RED product a risk assessment should highlight any additional testing and help make an informed assessment. Presumption of conformity is not sufficient unless technical analysis, test data and information provided by the radio module manufacturer to the final radio product can be assessed. However, if a meaningful and representative assessment of the radio performance requirements on the radio module were not performed, or are not available to the final radio product manufacturer; then a complete assessment of the final radio product is required.

The above is only summary of our understanding and not binding information, you should read the document in full to really appreciate what is required as it considers nearly all circumstances and is very informative.

Who are the REDCA?

The REDCA publishes Technical Guidance Notes (TGN’s) which are related to activities carried out by RED Notified Bodies, listed on NANDO, but are also of interest to other parties such as Test Laboratories, Consultants and Manufacturers. These mostly have their origins in questions raised by REDCA members and are issued after discussion and approval by the REDCA membership. They are as information input provided to the European Commission’s TCAM WG.

REDCA TGN’s must be understood as giving general guidance to facilitate comprehension and practical implementation of the conformity assessment procedures of the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU. They have no legal force but are often considered to be State of the Art.

 

Download the document here TGN01

 

Posted in News, Radio Equipment |