UK Approved Bodies are third-party entities that perform steps of conformity assessment procedures according to the requirements of various UK regulations. In this guide, we list several regulations and types of products for which the use of a UK Approved Body is required.
However, note that there may be other regulations and products for which a UK Approved Body is needed.
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Personal Protective Equipment Regulation
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is defined as equipment, components, and systems that protect the user’s health and safety. The Personal Protective Equipment Regulation (EU) 2016/425 classifies PPE into the following three risk categories:
a. Category I PPE – Protects users from minimal risks (e.g. eye damage due to sunlight exposure)
b. Category II PPE – Protects users from risks not specified in Categories I and III
c. Category III PPE – Protects users from irreversible health damage, such as radiation.
The table below lists the three risk categories and examples of products from an official UK document titled “Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) – Product categories covered by UK registered Approved Bodies”. The table also specifies whether you need to use a UK Approved Body for those products.
| Risk category | Product examples | UK Approved Body required? |
| Category I | Some types of eye protection equipment
Some types of hand protection equipment |
No |
| Category II | Protective equipment against slipping
Protective equipment against vibrations |
Yes |
| Category III | Protective equipment against electric shock
Protective equipment against bullet wounds |
Yes |
Electronics
This section lists UK regulations that set requirements for electronics, and specifies the product scopes of those regulations. It also specifies whether you need to use a UK Approved Body, and under which circumstances you need them. The product scopes in the table below can be found in their respective regulations.
| Regulation | Product scope | UK Approved Body required? |
| The EMC Regulations 2016 | Electronic and electrical apparatus or fixed installations | Manufacturers can choose between performing the conformity assessment procedures (in Schedule 3) that require a UK Approved Body, or one (in Schedule 2) that does not require it. |
| The RoHS Regulations 2012 | Electronic and electronic equipment | No |
| The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 | Electrical equipment operating between 50-1000V (AC) and 75-1500V (DC) | No |
| The Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 | Radio equipment | Yes, but only when:
a. Designated standards exist but were not (or partially) applied b. Designated standards do not exist |
| The Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products Regulations 2010 | Energy-related products (e.g. dishwashers, computers, space heaters) | No |
Toys
The Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 apply to toys sold in the United Kingdom. Toys are products intended for play by children under 14 years of age. This section lists the scenarios for which you need to use a UK Approved Body
| Scenario | UK Approved Body required? |
| Designated standards exist and are applied | No |
| Designated standards do not exist | Yes |
| Designated standards exist, but are not applied (or are applied only partially) | Yes |
| Designated standards are published with a restriction | Yes |
| The manufacturer decides that it is necessary to use a third-party verification body due to nature or other characteristics of the toy | Yes |
Machinery
The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 define machinery as:
- Assembled moving parts powered by something other than direct human or animal effort
- Add-on devices that change a machine’s function
- Separate safety components that could cause harm if they fail
- Components that help lift loads but aren’t attached to lifting machines
- Chains, ropes, and webbing made for lifting
- Removable power-transfer parts between machines
This section lists examples of covered products and explains whether you need to use a UK Approved Body for them. The product examples in the table are taken from Parts 4 and 5 of Schedule 2.
| Scenario | Product examples | UK Approved Body required? |
| Products not referred to in Annex IV (Part 4 of Schedule 2) | Emergency stop devices
Roll-over protective structures (ROPS) |
No |
| Products referred to in Annex IV (fully covered by designated standards) | Portable chainsaws for woodworking
Vehicle servicing lifts |
No |
| Products referred to in Annex IV (not fully covered by designated standards) | Sawing machinery with fixed blades
Hand-fed surface planing machinery for woodworking |
Yes |
Gas appliances
According to the Gas Appliances Regulation (EU) 2016/426, appliances are devices that use gas to cook, cool, heat, light, or clean, including burners and heating units. Also, fittings are defined as components (e.g. safety or control devices) meant to be part of or combined into a gas appliance.
This section explains whether you need to use a UK Approved Body for appliances and fittings.
| Type | UK Approved Body required? |
| Appliances | Yes |
| Fittings | Yes |
Other products and regulations
This section lists other regulations for which you need to use UK Approved Bodies, at least for some of the covered products:
a. Recreational Craft Regulations 2017
b. Simple Pressure Vessels (Safety) Regulations 2016
c. Non–automatic Weighing Instruments Regulations 2016
d. Measuring Instruments Regulations 2016
e. Lifts Regulations 2016
f. Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2016
g. Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016
h. Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for use Outdoors Regulations 2001
i. Boiler (Efficiency) Regulations 1993
j. Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015
k. Regulation (EU) 2016/424 on cableway installation
l. Merchant Shipping (Marine Equipment) Regulations 2016
m. Explosives Regulations 2014
n. Construction Products Regulations (Regulation (EU) 305/2011)
Note that we took these regulations from the UK Guidance page titled “UK conformity assessment”. However, additional regulations requiring the use of UK Approved Bodies may exist.
Note: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
