News

As the pandemic has seen a surge in fatbergs and drainage issues, Lanes Group plc has investigated to determine how much of the UK's blocked drains and sewers are down to bad habits and a simple lack of education among the general public. 

We’ve conducted a national survey to discover some of the UK’s worst habits when it comes to contributing towards fatbergs. From the weirdest items flushed down the toilet to some common misconceptions around drain best practices, you can view our full data findings from our 2021 survey here. 

Soup, Cigarettes and Toy Spider Among Items Brits Have Flushed Down the Toilet 

When it comes to disposing of certain household items, surprisingly Brits have openly admitted to flushing a lot of these down the toilet. Not only is this damaging to the sewers, but it also has a direct negative impact on the environment - not to mention the drain issues it could cause in your home and local area. 

The survey showed that wet wipes labelled as flushable were the most commonly flushed item (39%), followed by tampons (31%). Below are some of the other surprising culprits contributing towards blocked sewers, based on our survey participants’ answers. 

Items people admitted to flushing down the toilet: 

• Soup 
• Dental floss
• Toy spider 
• Cigarette 
• Fish 
• Hair (common answer) 
• Nail clippings 
• Hot fat from cooked meat

What you Should be Flushing

When it comes to preventing fatbergs and drainage issues, never flush wet wipes, plasters, cotton buds or any other plastic-containing items down your toilet, even if the packaging tells you it’s “flushable”. When using the toilet, remember the 3 Ps - only pee, poo and (toilet) paper can be safely flushed.

Lanes Group plc Urges Public to Make Changes Ahead of Unblocktober 

In order to try and improve people’s habits and awareness when it comes to drains, Lanes Group plc runs an annual nationwide awareness month - Unblocktober - inviting people to commit to a series of simple pledges for the month of October to help protect our sewers and seas from fatbergs and plastic. 

Haylie Orton, Marketing Manager at Lanes Group plc, said: “This national survey has provided us with a fascinating insight into people’s habits and awareness when it comes to what they put down the drain and sewers and the impact their behaviour can have on the environment.

“We can see that, despite there being some awareness around fatbergs, there is still some way to go in terms of educating the public on how they are unintentionally adding to the problem.”

Haylie said: “We’re excited to run Unblocktober for the third year in a row in order to challenge the public to change their behaviour. If we all make tiny changes at home this can have a huge impact on the environment as a whole, we just need to harness the conversation around plastic pollution and environmental issues and give people the knowledge they need to make a change for good.

“Our survey results show that the British public want to do their bit, so now I urge local and national governments to make it easy for people to help the environment and ensure the infrastructure is there to make this as convenient as possible.” 

Sulzer has announced its attendance at Rio Oil & Gas Expo 2022, where visitors can discover its best-in-class pumps, 24/7 rotating equipment services and chemical separation technologies. Meet with Sulzer experts in Warehouse 3, Booth A09 from September 26 – 29 at the Olympic Boulevard in Rio de Janeiro, to see how these solutions can maximize process uptime.

The largest show of its kind in Latin America, Rio Oil & Gas Expo gathers industry leaders biennially to showcase new innovations. As a global provider of high performance equipment and specialist services to the sector, Sulzer can support virtually any onshore or offshore application encompassing upstream, mid-stream and downstream processes.

Flow Equipment

Sulzer pumps enable the efficient extraction, transport and refinement of oil and gas worldwide. As a global pump OEM, Sulzer provides its customers with superior performance and technologies, unlocking new energy opportunities and allowing facilities to maximize reliability and availability. With the ability to engineer tailored multi-stage pumps for the most demanding fluids and applications, Sulzer pushes the performance envelope to enable landmark oil and gas projects. This expertise will be illustrated by a HPCPV subsea pump for dense gas which will be available for viewing on stand throughout the event.

Services

Offering 24/7 support to oil and gas projects, Sulzer’s comprehensive range of market-leading in-house and on-site rotating equipment services maximize uptime and productivity. Taking a complete electro mechanical approach, Sulzer can repair and upgrade all types of branded pumps, turbines, compressors, motors and generators. The business specializes in retrofits, upgrading designs and materials to unlock cost-effective performance optimization of equipment. A global network of service centers ensures localized support, minimizing project lead times. Experienced engineering teams are ready to provide around-the-clock field services too, including overhauls, installation, commissioning, diagnostics and troubleshooting. Illustrating Sulzer’s exceptional heritage, the Jundiaí Service Center will be celebrating its 75^th Anniversary during the event.

Chemtech

In processing and refining, Sulzer Chemtech’s mass transfer separation technologies are the preferred option for the oil and gas industry. The business specializes in the absorption, crystallization, distillation, evaporation, liquid-liquid extraction, phase separation and stripping of all types of products. As well as providing everything from specialized components right up to complete plants – Chemtech offers access to distillation tower experts which can provide comprehensive maintenance support to keep chemical processes running. Showing this capability, Chemtech’s remote monitoring services will star in an exclusive video available for viewing on stand.

Prize Draw

By scanning butterflies located around the Sulzer stand using a phone, visitors can pose for a selfie with augmented reality (AR) butterflies. By uploading this and adding their details, participants will be entered into an exclusive prize draw at the event. There is a unique photo opportunity for visitors to get involved with the on the stand too!

Rio Oil & Gas Expo 2022 takes place from September 26 – 29 at the Olympic Boulevard, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. You can meet with Sulzer experts in Warehouse 3, Booth A09 during the event.

The "Exponential Roadmap for Natural Climate Solutions" pinpoints actions needed to turn land sector from 12 Gt greenhouse gas source today into 10 Gt carbon sink by 2050

To avoid catastrophic climate change, the land sector – including agriculture, forestry and natural land protection and restoration – must reach net zero emissions by 2030, according to new research from Conservation International. 

The research is part of a new report, "The Exponential Roadmap for Natural Climate Solutions," released by Conservation International and partners Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, WWF, and the Exponential Roadmap Initiative and that lays out a new benchmark: the "Carbon Law for Nature." Rooted in the latest climate science, this benchmark states that everyone with a land sector footprint – particularly companies, banks and governments – must reach net zero emissions by 2030 and collectively achieve a 10 gigaton (Gt) carbon sink by 2050 across that footprint.  

Currently, the balance of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sinks from the land sector emits a net total of about 12 Gt of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year that must decrease – then reverse – by 2050.

"If you aren't on this trajectory, then you aren't doing your part to keep climate warming as close to 1.5°C as possible," said Michael Wolosin, managing director of the Natural Climate Solutions Roadmap at Conservation International. 

Meeting this benchmark is well within reach. Soils and plants could sequester much more carbon than they already do, helping to close the massive gap between global carbon emissions and storage.

Improved agricultural and forestry practices, the report states, present significant opportunities for absorbing climate-warming carbon out of the atmosphere while at the same time supporting local economies by offering sustainable livelihoods. Notably, the report details a timeline for who, how and where is best suited to maximize the potential of these "natural climate solutions" – that is, nature-based initiatives that better protect, manage and restore natural and working lands.

"To keep the 'safe' climate limit of 1.5°C warming within reach, we need major investments in natural climate solutions – in addition to rapidly phasing out coal, oil and gas," said Johan Rockström, Conservation International chief scientist and director of the Potsdam Institute. "Even if energy and industry meet their climate mitigation targets, without urgent action in the land sector we will not be able to limit warming. These solutions aren't reliant on hypothetical technologies or risky geoengineering. In most cases, it's about rapidly scaling practices that have been known for centuries."

Bolstering land protection, restoration and management efforts by changing the way the world grows and consumes food is essential, the report finds. About 80% of the climate mitigation opportunity from the land sector in the next decade will depend on transforming agriculture, diets and food waste. Protecting healthy ecosystems and avoiding deforestation from agricultural expansion is especially important; these efforts represent 30% of the 2030 natural climate solution mitigation opportunity.

That 80% also includes improving agriculture practices on existing farms by cover cropping, reducing tillage and implementing smart agroforestry practices such as planting trees along edges of pastures and commercially harvested areas. Finally, it includes reforestation that will not be spatially possible without sustainably using existing working lands, which means limiting food waste and transitioning to healthier diets.

"Food system transformation is at the heart of climate action. Nearly 80% of natural climate solutions necessary to achieve a 1.5°C future are closely linked to food systems and we must urgently work to put food on the table of both international and national agendas," said Brent Loken, global food lead scientist at WWF. "But given that food systems vary dramatically between countries, the strategies and policies needed to shift to a more sustainable food future must also differ between countries."

"Leveraging natural processes that pair traditional knowledge with modern science can improve growing conditions, soil fertility and help control weeds and pests," said Starry Sprenkle-Hyppolite, Conservation International restoration science director. "There are proven ways to simultaneously maintain vital food yields and practice climate-friendly agriculture."

The report finds that improved management of agricultural land through the action of farmers and ranchers, supported by governments, businesses and the finance sector, can achieve more than 5 Gt of total carbon sequestration by 2030 – 90% of which is newly removed from the atmosphere; 10% is reduced emissions of methane and nitrous oxide annually. These actions include:

• Climate-smart grazing practices such as adding trees to grazing lands can provide 1.9 Gt of emissions mitigation and improve animal health and economic opportunities for livestock mangers.
• Changes in soil management using regenerative practices like cover cropping, reducing tillage and mulching crop residues can add up to enormous carbon sequestration if achieved at scale, creating more than 2.5 Gt in carbon sinks globally by 2030 in regions with modern industrial agriculture such as North America, Europe, China and India.
• An additional 2.5 Gt mitigation opportunity by 2050 is possible if 50% of the world's population chooses a healthy and sustainable diet – which means shifting diets in richer countries toward plant-based foods – while also cutting food loss and waste in half.

Additional highlights from the report:

• Indigenous land rights are essential to land stewardship. Expanding resources and legal recognition of Indigenous peoples and local communities could reduce nearly 1 Gt of annual emissions by 2025 and nearly 2 Gt by 2050.
• Expanding and creating "climate-critical" protected areas that contain much of the world's at-risk "Irrecoverable Carbon" – particularly in the Amazon, Congo Basin and Malay Archipelago – would add another 1 Gt of mitigation per year by 2030.
• Climate-smart forestry practices hold huge potential, especially for Brazil, Suriname, Gabon, Indonesia and the United States. Globally, climate-smart forestry could produce nearly 2 Gt of mitigation per year by 2030 on 1.3 billion hectares (65%) of the world's timber-producing natural forests.
• Southeast Asia, parts of Eurasia, Brazil, the United States, Canada, Indonesia and India are well positioned to apply restoration solutions – leading a global effort to restore 15 million hectares of peatlands by 2030 and up to 350 million hectares of forests and wetlands by 2050, delivering nearly 5 Gt of reductions annually.

"In the hierarchy of natural climate solutions protection is still a top priority, but it must be paired with other strategies," said Bronson Griscom, a report contributing author and vice president of natural climate solutions at Conservation International. "For consumers in industrialized countries that means healthier diets. For farmers and foresters that means adopting advanced practices, with new financial support. And for Indigenous peoples it means justice, more rights and resources. These efforts all have one thing in common: For all of us they mean regreening the planet."

This report builds on the work of the Exponential Roadmap Initiative. Learn more about the Natural Climate Solutions Roadmap or access the full report.  

Convert, the UK’s leading manufacturer of cable looms and harnesses, and Wipac are celebrating their 15^th year of a partnership which has delivered over half a million harnesses for a wide range of high end cars.

The harnesses are for external lighting - head lights, rear lights including the centre high mount stop lights (CHMSL, the third brake lights) – and a range of printed circuit boards (PCB). In the past, lights were fairly straightforward to power, typically comprising two connecting wires, one carrying the earth, the other the current.

However, lights are now much more complicated as more functionality has been added, such as directional control of headlight beams, and the need to carry much more information. Modern cars can need up to 70 individual connections & terminations and up to 30 wires.

And with the introduction of communications and the flow of large amounts of data, they need to be able to withstand magnetic or electromagnetic interference. This is on top of different braiding to protect against extremes of temperature and ISO/TS standards to ensure chemical protection.

The PCBs have also brought a new level of complexity and handling, with connecting wires being as short as 20mm.

The partnership with Wipac, which designs and manufactures bespoke exterior lighting for the world’s leading performance and luxury automotive brands, has also benefitted Convert as a business, helping them to improve their own systems, with a continual focus on engineering excellence and customer service.

For example they designed a miniature, stand-alone waterproof grommet which forms an integral part of the cable harness for lamp enclosures.

The grommet uses tunnel guides to allow cable to pass through, creating a waterproof seal once fixed to the cable harness, which in turn remains stable and secure when fitted to a finished lamp.

The grommet meets waterproofing standard IP66K and is used in Wipac’s exterior lamps for British luxury and high performance sports car manufacturers.

Dave Lord, Convert’s managing director said: “Working with Wipac for the 15^th year is a very different proposition from our early days, when all that was needed was the simplest of harnesses. Since then we have produced more complicated wiring sets for some of the biggest names in quality cars. And as we have grown, we have improved our systems and processes, with these best practice methodologies now standard across the board, driving improvement throughout the business.”

Georgina Westrope of Wipac added: “Convert is a fantastic example of a small UK company with excellence in electronics and engineering. Their technical know-how and customer service is second to none and we regularly involve the team in the design and development stages of our production.”

Convert supplies many advanced engineering industries, including automotive, public transport, medical and scientific equipment. It can produce all harness types, from multi-branch looms, interconnect harnesses and wire and cable sets, as well as more bespoke assemblies.

For more information, please visit https://www.convertltd.co.uk. 

• Karpowership's floating power solutions can save the UK as much as 30% on its energy bills
• Up to 2,000 MW of power generation capacity available, enough to supply 5 million British households
• Immediately deployable Powerships ranging in capacity between 36 MW- 480 MW
• Dual-fuel enabled, installed with all infrastructure onboard

LONDON, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The UK's energy crisis has sent electricity prices skyrocketing, putting British businesses at risk of bankruptcy and exacerbating Britain's cost-of-living crisis. As winter approaches, the nation now faces the very real prospect of power blackouts and millions of people being pushed into energy poverty.  

But one company has a solution that will slash Britain's energy costs, can be deployed almost immediately and offers flexible, short-term contracts.

Karpowership's fleet of floating Powerships range in capacity from 36 MW-480 MW and can be delivered ready to connect to Britain's electricity grid in as little as 30 days. Karpowership's entire 6,000 MW Powership fleet is already fully constructed, with as much as 2,000 MW immediately available, enough to power 5 million homes.

Powerships are delivered with all the necessary infrastructure already onboard, offering a fully integrated, stable yet flexible solution to intermittent and unreliable sources of electricity generation.

"The interruption of gas supply, tight global liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets, and increasing reliance upon intermittent sources of power generation have created a crisis that may last until 2026 – urgent solutions are needed,'' said Zeynep Harezi, Karpowership's Chief Commercial Officer. "Karpowership is affordable, flexible and can be deployed almost immediately, meaning we could be supplying millions of homes with cost-effective power before winter hits.''

Complete with storage facilities, high voltage sub-stations and mobile maintenance facilities, Powerships offer a stable power-generating platform to reduce the need for costly imports.

Facilities are dual-fuel equipped, ensuring that when prices for pipeline gas and LNG aren't competitive, they can also run on more economical fuel oil, which is less than half the cost of running existing gas assets at current prices.

Karpowership can also offer flexible contracts of as little as two years, so that when circumstances change, Powerships can be re-deployed where they are most needed.

For more information on Karpowership and its fleet of floating power solutions, visit https://karpowership.com/en/

Media contact: Karen Kumbasar, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

On September 7, POSCO Holdings signed an MOU about cooperation on supplying hydroelectric-based renewable power for the Malaysia Sarawak H2biscus Green Hydrogen Project with Samsung Engineering, Lotte Chemical, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation Energy, and Malaysian Sarawak Energy.

This January, POSCO Holdings, Samsung Engineering, and Lotte Chemical signed an MOU with SEDC Energy to build a partnership for the Sarawak green hydrogen project. This time, the new MOU signing for the collaboration of renewable power supply with Sarawak Energy is expected to boost the Sarawak hydrogen project.

With the MOU signed, the five parties agreed to conduct joint research for a stable power supply under the H2biscus project, which will use min. 900MW of power, and check the preparations for substation, power line, and other infrastructural facilities. Based on the result of the co-research, the ongoing feasibility study will be finalized by this year, aiming to start production of green H2 from the end of 2027.

The green hydrogen produced from the Sarawak project will amount to 200,000 tons. Except for 7,000 tons used in Malaysia, the rest of the H2 will be moved to Korea in the form of ammonia, which is expected to help the country facilitate the national H2 economy and achieve the carbon neutrality goal. In particular, POSCO Holdings, Samsung Engineering, and Lotte Chemical will continue to develop green H2 projects overseas to take the lead in introducing green hydrogen to Korea.

Besides, POSCO GROUP is actively taking action to secure differentiated business capabilities and technological prowess over the entire hydrogen value chain from H2 production, transport, storage, and usage. While participating in multiple outstanding projects of green H2 output in Australia and the Middle East, POSCO is also focusing on its capabilities in high-temperature electrolysis technology (producing H2 through electrolysis of water at high temperatures) and ammonia decomposition technology (producing H2 by reforming ammonia). POSCO GROUP aims to grow into the nation's biggest H2 player with the highest demand and supply by equipping itself with the production system for 7 million tons of H2 by 2050, at home and abroad.

SHANGHAI, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On 7 September 2022, the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai held its second Sustainability and ESG Business Summit, themed "New Horizons: The Era of ESG" in Shanghai. The University of Manchester China Centre was invited to be the academic supporter at the summit for the second time.

Managing Director of China Centre, the University of Manchester, Ms. Sherry Fu attended the Summit and delivered a keynote speech "Net Zero Energy Future: Global Challenges, Manchester Solutions". 

Fu said in her keynote: "The University of Manchester is a world-leading research institution. It is the first UK university to have social responsibility as its strategic core goal. We were ranked No. 1 in the world last year and 9th this year, by the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings."

"At Manchester, we believe that universities exist for public benefit." Fu shared some examples that the University undertaken against United Nations' 17 SDGs. "We've contributed over 21,000 research publications across all 17 SDGs in the past 5 years – representing 4% of the UK's research on the goals. And we are also committed to be a zero-carbon university by 2038. We're a living wage accredited employer, a top-ranking institution for LGBT+ inclusivity, and we also hold quality marks for gender, disability and racial equality."

Fu addressed that energy is one of the five research beacons for the University of Manchester and the University has more than 600 academics addressing sustainable energy challenges. She emphasized: "The breadth of expertise at Manchester means we can push research boundaries and shape energy innovation. We are exploring alternative energy strategies and pioneering work in emerging renewable technologies and bridging fuels."

"Global challenges, Manchester solutions. As the top ten in the world for sustainable development, our research has a real-world impact. Our commitment to social responsibility drives us to improve lives across the planet." Speaking on the scale of the energy projects, Fu said: "We have more than £80 million of ongoing energy projects, covering the entire energy journey – from generation and storage through to systems and use. With such scale and scope, there is a wide range of opportunities to work together with partners and collaborators across varied disciplines to help deliver a brighter and more sustainable world for future generations."

15^th September 2022, Dubai, UAE: We are delighted to be celebrating this, the 200th edition of The Maritime Standard newsletter. Packed with news and updates on the shipping and maritime sectors, the newsletter has been published without missing a single issue since its first one on June 1st, 2014.

It has proved to be extremely popular, steadily increasing circulation over this period, and moving from having a primarily regional to a genuinely global readership, indicating a strong demand for information and intelligence about developments in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent shipping, ports, and related sectors.

Clive Woodbridge, TMS Editor, says, “It is a fantastic achievement to be reaching this milestone and we are grateful for the support of our readers and sponsors over the past eight years. We have strived to cover what is important in the regional maritime sector and have tried to put an insightful spin on news about the industry, drawing on our years of experience. We have been fortunate to have a network of invaluable contacts at high levels throughout the sector who have been kind enough to grant us the benefit of their insights. Hopefully, as an increasingly global brand, we can continue to serve the market as a valuable source of information for the next 200 editions also.”

Over the past few years there have been a whole host of significant developments relating to the maritime sector in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. Mergers and acquisitions; new port projects; investments in new ships; and upgrades to shipbuilding and repair facilities. The Maritime Standard has been there to cover them all, in a timely manner and with an easy-to-read format.

The pace of development and change will not slow down, and fresh and innovative ventures and business ideas will be coming to fruition. Once again, through The Maritime Standard, readers will not miss a thing.

Clive adds, “There is no doubt that the regional maritime business will grow and develop further over the next few years. It is a market that deserves close attention and about which up-to- date and insightful information can be important in identifying business opportunities and securing competitive advantage.”

The Maritime Standard is published by Flagship Events, a business which has been able to take full advantage of the wise leadership of the UAE, where it is based, to flourish as a media, events and conferences production company. The support given to the maritime sector by the leadership allowed activity to continue even during the pandemic, and this is truly appreciated.

The Maritime Standard also wishes to acknowledge the sponsorship and advertising support it has received from many of the region’s biggest companies. These include leading players in the ports, shipping, insurance, classification and marine services sectors.

TMS achievement in reaching the 200th edition has been praised by a number of prominent shipping and ports executives. Capt. Mohammed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports Group, commented “The progress that The Maritime Standard has made over the past eight years has been outstanding and we applaud the fact that it is now established as one of the leading online publications for the region.” Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO & Managing Director DP World UAE & Jafza said, “The Maritime Standard provides us with an excellent, well written source of information and it has earned its position of respect across the industry.” Capt. Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC L&S, said. “The Maritime Standard newsletter has become an invaluable resource and it deserves every success. I wish it well for the future.” Dr Ibrahim Al Nadhairi CEO of ASYAD Shipping and Drydocks echoes these sentiments, saying: “The Maritime Standard has helped raise the profile of the maritime industries in this region and as such has made an extremely valuable contribution, which is widely appreciated and acknowledged.”

The TMS newsletter is the basis on which the TMS Awards and TMS Tanker Conference has taken root and flourished also. In November this year both events will return to the pre-covid venue of the Atlantis, one of the regions finest venues, and we are once again expecting a full house of over 800 people to pack the ballroom.

From 1 January 2023, equipment and protective systems intended for the GB market should be conformity assessed by a UK approved body where necessary and should be UKCA marked, not CE marked.

All new products that placed on the market previously would have needed an ATEX Notified Body certificate will need a UKCA Ex Approved Body Certificate (and QAN as applicable)

On 20 June 2022 however the Government announced it intends to introduce legislation which will allow completed conformity assessment activities carried out under EU requirements before 1 January 2023 to permit self-declaration under certain conditions for a limited period.  It should be noted however that this legislation has not yet been passed so anyone considering this route is doing so under their own risk.  It is planned for the proposed legislation change to be placed before Parliament in the autumn 2022 to give effect to this.

The proposed legislation change will permit ATEX Notified body Certificates issued before 1 January 2023 to be used by manufacturers to declare existing product types as compliant with UKCA (assuming the ATEX Certificates are to the relevant UKCA Designated Standards)

Products must still bear UKCA marking. For ongoing production, they will need to undergo conformity assessment with a UK Approved Body once any of the relevant certification has changed (for example with a variation to the EU-Type examination certificate after 1 January 2023 or the QAN expiring), or after 5 years (31 December 2027), whichever is sooner. This will allow manufacturers to apply the UKCA mark without the need for UK approved body involvement and continue to place their goods on the GB market, based on an existing EU type examination certificate issued before 31 December 2022.

Where manufacturers are using existing ATEX certification completed before 1January 2023 as the basis to demonstrate compliance with UKCA for their products, they should include in the UK Declaration of Conformity the list of relevant UK designated standards and equivalent EU harmonised standards that apply to their product, as well as details of the ATEX Notified Body which carried out the conformity assessment procedures.

If the ATEX certificate was not issued before 1 January 2023, or a variation is issued to that certificate after that date then these products are considered ‘new’ and would require certication by an UKCA Ex Approved Body. This is also the case when the products are manufactured under an ATEX QAN, when the QAN expires the product will require a UKCA QAN issued by a UKCA Ex Approved Body.

Please note that whist this guidance is derived from published UK Government documents and feedback from BEIS, interpretations and legislation may change again before the end of the year!

Sean Clarke CEng MSc FIET is the Managing Director of ExVeritas who a UKCA Approved ‘Ex’ Body, an ATEX Notified Body and IECEX Certification Body.

From 1 January 2023, equipment and protective systems intended for the GB market should be conformity assessed by a UK approved body where necessary and should be UKCA marked, not CE marked.

All new products that placed on the market previously would have needed an ATEX Notified Body certificate will need a UKCA Ex Approved Body Certificate (and QAN as applicable)

On 20 June 2022 however the Government announced it intends to introduce legislation which will allow completed conformity assessment activities carried out under EU requirements before 1 January 2023 to permit self-declaration under certain conditions for a limited period.  It should be noted however that this legislation has not yet been passed so anyone considering this route is doing so under their own risk.  It is planned for the proposed legislation change to be placed before Parliament in the autumn 2022 to give effect to this.

The proposed legislation change will permit ATEX Notified body Certificates issued before 1 January 2023 to be used by manufacturers to declare existing product types as compliant with UKCA (assuming the ATEX Certificates are to the relevant UKCA Designated Standards)

Products must still bear UKCA marking. For ongoing production, they will need to undergo conformity assessment with a UK Approved Body once any of the relevant certification has changed (for example with a variation to the EU-Type examination certificate after 1 January 2023 or the QAN expiring), or after 5 years (31 December 2027), whichever is sooner. This will allow manufacturers to apply the UKCA mark without the need for UK approved body involvement and continue to place their goods on the GB market, based on an existing EU type examination certificate issued before 31 December 2022.

Where manufacturers are using existing ATEX certification completed before 1January 2023 as the basis to demonstrate compliance with UKCA for their products, they should include in the UK Declaration of Conformity the list of relevant UK designated standards and equivalent EU harmonised standards that apply to their product, as well as details of the ATEX Notified Body which carried out the conformity assessment procedures.

If the ATEX certificate was not issued before 1 January 2023, or a variation is issued to that certificate after that date then these products are considered ‘new’ and would require certication by an UKCA Ex Approved Body. This is also the case when the products are manufactured under an ATEX QAN, when the QAN expires the product will require a UKCA QAN issued by a UKCA Ex Approved Body.

Please note that whist this guidance is derived from published UK Government documents and feedback from BEIS, interpretations and legislation may change again before the end of the year!

Sean Clarke CEng MSc FIET is the Managing Director of ExVeritas who a UKCA Approved ‘Ex’ Body, an ATEX Notified Body and IECEX Certification Body.