Common regulatory requirements for products across Europe mean that goods can be
traded freely. The DTI's Standards and Technical
Regulations Directorate (STRD) works to negotiate technical regulations at
European level and implement them into UK law. Products that comply carry the
familiar CE marking, and cover a
vast range of items from common household electrical
goods to heavy industrial machinery. We offer a comprehensive range of
guidance material on the EU Directives and
corresponding UK Regulations.We work to build a
standards and conformity assessment
infrastructure which meets the needs of UK industry, through a range of policy
activities and through our relations on behalf of Government with the
British Standards Institution (BSI) and the
United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). We are
also responsible for consumer safety policy in matters relating to the safety of
domestic gas and electrical appliances. Together
with BSI and the CBI we are currently working to develop a
National Standardisation Strategic Framework (NSSF).
Economic operators with products that are used by consumers (whether intended
for them or not) should take account of the
General Product Safety
Regulations which entered into force on 1 October 2005. These
Regulations will apply to most products used by Consumers and introduce a number
of additional requirements and obligations on all in the supply chain over and
above those in the New Approach directives.
Guidance on
the General Product Safety Regulations has been produced by our Consumer and
Competition Policy Directorate  (526 kB).
See our sitemap for the full range of our
activities, or who's who for our contact details,
and be sure to check our What's New page regularly to
catch the latest developments including public consultations. |
