The United Kingdom (UK) left the European Union (EU) on 31 January 2020. Since this date, the UK and the EU are separate jurisdictions and there are different legislative requirements in place.
Of specific interest to the gases industry, the UK has in place its own legislation for the regulation of (static) pressure equipment and the regulation of transportable pressure equipment which are placed on the market in Great Britain. There are separate requirements in place for Northern Ireland.
When placed on the Great Britain market, (static) pressure equipment must comply with the Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations (as amended). Until 1 January 2025 pressure equipment may still comply with European legislation with conformity assessment by a European Notified Body. From 1 January 2025 (static) pressure equipment placed on the market in Great Britain must only comply with UK legislation, with conformity assessment by a UK Approved Body.
From 1 January 2023 transportable pressure equipment placed on the market in Great Britain must comply with the appropriate UK legislation – The Carriage od Dangerous Goods and Use of transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations (as amended), with conformity assessment by a UK Appointed Body.
There are several other topics which are of interest to the gases industry, for which BCGA provides links to the relevant Government websites (below).
Government guidance is being updated, and BCGA will continue to monitor any changes and share key relevant information with members. The Government provide guidance on managing Brexit here and many other useful links are copied below.
Transportable pressure equipment is regulated by the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations (as amended).
The UK is, and will remain, a signatory to the Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR).
In the UK, the Competent Authority for transportable pressure equipment is the Department for Transport (DfT).
The changes post Brexit affect principally type approval and conformity assessment of transportable pressure equipment. When placing transportable pressure equipment on the UK market, following successful conformity assessment by a UK Appointed Body, it will be marked with a ‘rho’ mark.
Additional information is available at:
Pressure equipment must comply with the Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations (as amended).
In the UK, the Competent Authority for pressure equipment is the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
When placing pressure equipment on the UK market, following successful conformity assessment by a UK Approved Body, it will be marked with a ‘UKCA’ mark.
Additional information is available at:
• BCGA Publications – FAQs
• BEIS guidance on the PE(S)R
• Using UKCA marking
• Conformity assessment and accreditation
• Placing manufactured goods on the market in Great Britain
• Placing certain products on the Northern Ireland market
• Placing manufactured goods on the EU market
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating the UK medical devices market.
Within the gases industry, valves in medical gas service are also classified as medical devices and, as such, they must comply with the conformity assessment requirements of The Medical Devices Regulations (as amended), as well as the requirements for transportable pressure equipment.
Currently we are in a ‘standstill period’ where existing EU legislation may still be used alongside the amended UK legislation. This standstill period will end on 30 June 2023. From 1 July 2023 medical devices placed on the market in the UK must comply with the appropriate UK legislation.
The MHRA provide guidance for:
The UK is currently establishing its own regulatory system for REACH. Defra own the regulation itself, with HSE acting as the operator of the policy and enforcer. Please see below for further information on this and other chemical regulations:
The British Standards Institute (BSI) has advised that its membership of the International Organisations for Standards ISO and IEC is unaffected by Brexit. Membership of the European Standards Organisations CEN and CENELEC will involve a transition period following Brexit to ensure that BSI can continue its membership of both organisations on a permanent basis.
The UK will continue to comply with existing legislation for the International carriage of dangerous goods. The road transport of dangerous goods will comply with the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations (as amended).
