Archived News Article
‘Toolkit’ to assist conformity with CE marking Directives
We've released a new ‘Toolkit’ to support members in meeting the strict requirements of CE Marking Directives. The Toolkit is designed to help users navigate the sometimes complex ‘technical file’ aspect requirement of the Regulations.
Essentially, a technical file must document how the Essential Health and Safety Requirements (EHSR’s) of the applicable directives have been satisfied. The file would include a description of the product, its intended use and the design, manufacture and operation of the product, and any redesigns must be reflected. Details to be included can be ambiguous and depend on the nature of the product and what is considered necessary to demonstrate conformity to the EHSR’s.
Bruce Lovell, consultant at FIRA International curated the Toolkit, and said, “This project, on behalf of the Furniture Industry Research Association, essentially came from identifying the need to support members in relation to the CE Marking Directives. There is a requirement to be compliant, averting the risk of prosecution, so this Toolkit is a great start in giving direction to conformity.
“We mapped all the sections of the Toolkit to the Directive’s, creating templates, instructions, guidelines and examples of how to construct a Toolkit from scratch. There is also a blank template, enabling members to organise their own files in a way which suits them best.
“It’s worth noting that the Toolkit isn’t for customers to access sensitive information – but enforcement authorities may need to access the information for up to ten years after the last date on which the products described in the file were produced. This is a significant, yet often overlooked, requirement. Changes in personnel, company administrative and managerial facilities and resources present challenges in ensuring the availability of the required information, and this needs to be considered carefully from the outset.”
Sections within the comprehensive Toolkit includes templates and example documents related to::
- Detailed design information – covering mechanical parts; components; sub-assembly; safety, circuit and control panel drawings and declarations for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH); Biocides and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) declarations
- Record of risk assessment, compliance and electrical safety assessment checklist
- Methods adopted to eliminate hazards and measures taken to satisfy Essential Health and Safety Requirements (EHSRs)
- Inspection reports, conformance and other inspection/test reports
- Quality control and manufacturer’s commissioning procedures, quality / factory production control procedures, functional/operational/safety test procedures and critical components list
- Instructions, specifications and ratings (noise declaration, user safety instructions, troubleshooting etc.)
- EC Declaration of Conformity
