Uk: What Are The Legal Requirements For Me To Make & Sell Electrical Products?
Posted by IT CommentatorAug 17
What are the legal requirements (if any) in the UK that I need as an individual in order to legally perform electrical wiring for consumer electronic products.
Example:
I want to buy acoustic parts to build a speaker, of which I will sell. Apart from CE certification, what legal requirements do I need as an individual to manufacture consumer electrical products?
I heard there was this ‘competent person’ certificate I have to get or something.
There probably is no legal paperwork or certification required for you to *make* anything (aside from, perhaps, a structure like a house, building, or anything that requires certification before it can be *used*).
For you to sell your intended product (audio speakers), you might want to look at CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60065-03 or ANSI/UL 60065. Those are CSA and UL documents that describe the safety certification criteria for a wide range of consumer products, of which I believe would apply to speakers.
I don’t know what agency is recognized specifically in the UK (CSA, UL, TUV, etc) for consumer electrical products.
Note that any agency certification for your product may be reduced, or eliminated, if your product is simply passive (ie it is not amplified, does not contain batteries, or is not directly connected to a mains power source).
You will obviously have to set up a shop to build these speakers (office, factory, your house, apartment, etc). Depending on the terms of occupancy of the location, you may or may not have the legal ability or permission to operate a business or manufacture specific goods at the location. If you rent the location, you may need to take out a variety of insurance (fire, theft, business-continuation insurance, third-party liability, etc) and that requirement might include product liability insurance.
You might also need a license from a local government to conduct business and transact sales (and collect any local sales tax). In some places this is called a “vendor’s permit”.
With regard to the term “competent person”, look here:http://www.eca.co.uk/IndustryGuidance/Bu…
The way I read this, a company or organization can perform infrastructure work on it’s own premises or property and can self-certify the work as long as it has a “competent person” registration or certificate. I don’t think the “competent person” concept applies to the products the company or organization makes.
No clue, but if you know it works well, sell it on ebay