Electrical Accessories Safety - advice for manufacturers

If you’re a manufacturer of small electrical accessories with consumers in Britain and mainland Europe, you are be bound by both the EU’s Low Voltage Directive (LVD), and the UK’s Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994.

This can mean different things for different products.

If you make domestic sockets, FCUs and adaptors, for example, you must have an accredited third party confirmation that they meet the relevant quality and safety standards before selling them in the UK. Self-certification is not permitted for these products under British law.

However, cable reels (which can include domestic sockets) are subject to CE marking regulations.

UK BS 1363 plugs are outside the scope of LVD and Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations as they are covered by the Plugs and Sockets (Safety) Regulations. This requires ALL BS 1363 plugs sold within the UK to be approved by a notified body (such as BSI via the Kitemark).

Recognised by the Regulations, and the best-known standards organization in Britain, we’re the obvious certification partner for any maker of domestic plugs and sockets, etc., in the UK market.

We test:

• UK plugs
• UK socket-outlets
• UK socket-outlets with USB charging
• UK adaptors
• Fused Connection Units (FCUs)
• UK conversion plugs
• Cable reels
• Appliance couples
• Switches
• Travel adaptors

We provide:

Accredited Product testing through an international network of partner laboratories – third – party certification for products.

Verification certification – proof that your test procedures and technical data are robust when you self-certify.

Kitemark Certification – licences to use our world renowned quality mark on products and for promotional purposes.