Occupational Safety and Health Act: An Essential Guide

Posted on by Ivan Malloci — Leave a comment

Safety goggles and Helmet

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) sets health and safety requirements for workers, including products used in the workspace such as personal protective equipment.

While there are many different standards and regulations under the act, this guide only focuses on the requirements set by 29 CFR Part 1910 – Occupational Safety and Health Standards. Additionally, it only covers requirements for importers and manufacturers; it does not cover requirements for employers, operations, and procedures.

Continue reading Occupational Safety and Health Act: An Essential Guide

FCC 47 CFR Part 15 Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC): A Practical Guide

Posted on by Ivan Malloci — Leave a comment

Certain electronic products imported or manufactured in the United States must undergo a Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) procedure, which also requires a compliance information statement.

The SDoC procedure covers most unintentional radiators. That is, products that do not have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or other wireless functions. In this guide, we address frequently asked questions regarding the SDoC procedure, the SDoC compliance information statement, and other related topics.
Continue reading FCC 47 CFR Part 15 Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC): A Practical Guide

How to Create an EU Declaration of Conformity for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — Leave a comment

How to create an EU Declaration of Conformity for PPE

This guide explains how to create an EU Declaration of Conformity for PPE based on the model structure in Annex IX of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulation. You will learn what to include under each of the 8 points, while I also address common questions.
Continue reading How to Create an EU Declaration of Conformity for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

EUDR Due Diligence Statements: An Essential Guide

Posted on by Ivan Malloci — Leave a comment

EUDR Due Diligence Statement

The Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) contains due diligence requirements to ensure products contributing to deforestation are not imported, sold within the EU or exported. The regulation mandates the submission of a due diligence statement, which is a document used to indicate that companies have complied with the applicable EUDR requirements.

This guide covers frequently asked questions about EUDR due diligence statements, including which types of operators are required to submit one and which are exempt.
Continue reading EUDR Due Diligence Statements: An Essential Guide

EU Conformity Assessment Procedures: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — Leave a comment

EU Conformity Assessment Procedures

A conformity assessment procedure provides a pathway to compliance for certain EU regulations or directives that require CE marking. In practice, conformity assessment procedures set a list of tasks that must be completed to demonstrate compliance. This generally involves compliance with standards, documentation, labelling, and testing.

In this guide, we explain how you can determine which conformity assessment procedure to follow for your products, and the steps you must take to successfully complete the procedure.
Continue reading EU Conformity Assessment Procedures: A Complete Guide

Wood & Bamboo Product Regulations in the United States: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Ivan Malloci — 7 Comments

Products made of wood sold in the United States are subject to various regulations, standards, and other compliance requirements — which set requirements concerning documentation, chemicals, labeling, and testing.

In this guide, we take a closer look at the Lacey Act, 7 CFR Part 319 Subpart I, and other regulations relevant to companies manufacturing or importing wood and bamboo products to the United States.

Continue reading Wood & Bamboo Product Regulations in the United States: A Complete Guide

Notified Bodies in the European Union: An Overview

Posted on by Ivan Malloci — 6 Comments

Notified bodies are organisations designated by EU member countries that perform conformity assessments on products before they are sold.

The role of a notified body is to assess whether a product is technically safe and compliant. In a way, the notified body acts as a gatekeeper to the EU market for more ‘high-risk’ and ‘sensitive’ products that cannot be ‘self-assessed’.

That said, notified bodies are not government organisations. Instead, companies like Intertek and TÜV Rheinland are appointed to act as notified bodies for certain product categories.

In this guide, we explain what manufacturers and importers must know about notified bodies and how they operate.
Continue reading Notified Bodies in the European Union: An Overview

How to Use Test Reports from Your Supplier: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — Leave a comment

How to Use Test Reports from Your Supplier

Using existing supplier test reports can help you reduce or even eliminate the need for third-party testing when buying ODM products, materials, and components. That said, such test reports can only be used under certain circumstances. Misused, relying on supplier test reports can result in fines and recalls.

This guide provides crucial insights from more than a decade of vetting test reports from hundreds of Asian and European suppliers. We have also implemented strategies for customers that are based on partial reliance on material and component test reports.
Continue reading How to Use Test Reports from Your Supplier: A Complete Guide

European Union Authorised Representatives: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 24 Comments

Request a free EU Authorised Representative Quotation Here

Article 4 of the Market Surveillance Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 states that products can only be sold in the European Union if there is an economic operator established there. This can, for example, be an EU manufacturer or importer.

However, non-EU companies cannot function as economic operators, and therefore need an authorised representative (EU AR) that is established in the EU.

In this guide, we explain how this works in practice and what the consequences can be if you don’t have an authorised representative.

Related Articles

1. Authorised Representatives under the General Product Safety Regulation

2. List of European Authorised Representative Companies 2025

3. Responsible Persons under the General Product Safety Regulation

Note 1: This guide does not cover authorised representative requirements concerning medical devices. We have a separate article on this topic here.

Note 2: This article was updated to reflect the fact that the GPSR now extends the EU Authorised Representative requirements to other consumer products. When this guide was initially published, this was only the case for products that required CE marking.

Continue reading European Union Authorised Representatives: A Complete Guide