EMC regulation in the United Kingdom
The Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016 and Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 in Great Britain, UKCA marking, designated standards and Northern Ireland.
In Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) EMC is regulated by two statutory instruments that follow the structure of the EU directives:
- the Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/1091) for electrical and electronic apparatus and fixed installations;
- the Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/1206) for equipment that intentionally transmits or receives radio waves; their EMC requirement sits alongside requirements on spectrum use and safety.
Essential requirements
As in the EU, there are two: emissions must not exceed a level that prevents radio and telecommunications equipment from working as intended, and equipment must have an adequate level of immunity for its environment.
Route to compliance
- Identify the designated standards for the product. A designated standard gives a presumption of conformity; most of those relevant to EMC are the same EN, CISPR and IEC documents used in Europe (the UK adopts them as BS EN standards), so a product tested to those methods can serve both markets.
- The manufacturer assesses conformity (internal production control is the usual route) and prepares technical documentation. An approved body may be involved in the optional routes (the UK equivalent of the EU notified body).
- The manufacturer draws up a UK declaration of conformity and applies the UKCA marking to the product.
- Importers and distributors have duties to check the marking, the declaration and the documentation.
Market surveillance is carried out by the enforcement authorities named in the Regulations.
The CE marking and the UKCA marking
Whether CE-marked goods are accepted on the Great Britain market is set out by GOV.UK and has been the subject of government announcements; consult the GOV.UK guidance on the CE and UKCA markings for the position that applies today.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland follows different arrangements: the EU rules apply there for goods under the Windsor Framework. Check the GOV.UK guidance for the rules for Northern Ireland.
Accreditation of laboratories
UKAS (the United Kingdom Accreditation Service) is the national accreditation body for laboratories working to ISO/IEC 17025. The EMC Regulations do not themselves require an accredited laboratory; test reports are the evidence for the manufacturer’s assessment.
Where to check
The legislation is on legislation.gov.uk; GOV.UK has guidance on the UKCA marking, designated standards and conformity assessment.