Ensure your products are safe

Products covered by specific safety regulations

A CE mark is a manufacturer's claim that its product meets specified essential safety requirements set out in relevant European directives.

Certain categories of products must bear CE marking if you intend to sell them in:

• the European Union (EU)
• member states of the European Economic area (EEA) - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

The following categories of products require CE marking if you wish to sell them within the EU or member states of the EEA:

• toys
• electrical products
• construction products
• pressure vessels
• telecommunications equipment
• medical devices
• machinery, equipment and safety components
• personal protective equipment
• satellite station equipment
• gas appliances
• pressure equipment
• appliances (other than gas)
• non-automatic weighing instruments and equipment
• measuring instruments
• recreational craft
• lift machinery
• equipment and protective systems for explosive atmospheres
• in-vitro diagnostic medical devices
• marine equipment
• safety components and subsystems for incorporation into cableway installations
• cableway equipment (ski tows etc)

The requirement for CE marking and the exact process you will need to go through varies from product to product. Different types of product are governed by different European directives. For example, the trade of certain machinery, equipment and safety components is governed by the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008. The regulations implement a European directive aimed at removing technical barriers to trade.

Under the regulations, products that conform to the relevant safety standards are CE marked and can be placed on the market across the EEA. Responsibility for ensuring compliance with the regulations rests with the manufacturer of the machinery, equipment or components in question. Failure to do so can result in prosecution.

Download guidance on the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) website (PDF, 423K) - Opens in a new window.

Where an item of equipment is covered by more than one directive, it must be CE marked under all applicable directives.

If you supply consumer products which aren't covered by these specific directives, they must not be CE marked. However, you still have a general duty to ensure they are safe for normal or reasonably foreseeable use under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.

You can read information on product safety regulations on the BIS website - Opens in a new window.

For information on specific safety regulations for fireworks, see the page in this guide on fireworks - information for suppliers, retailers and display event organisers.

You can also see our guide on CE marking.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Your legal responsibilities
• Products covered by specific safety regulations
• Fireworks - information for suppliers, retailers and display event organisers
• Safety regulations for children's products
• Safety concerns in the early stages of design
• Packaging concerns
• Product liability and taking out insurance
• Where to get more help

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