Manufacturing & Engineering UK-wide

Other manufacturing: compliance checklist

Use this checklist to confirm your business in Division 32 (other manufacturing) meets its obligations before a production run. Work through the universal workshop items every maker shares, then the product-conformity section for what you make. If you answer no to any item, follow the linked guide before you proceed.

Guide summary

Work through this checklist before every production run. Confirm you have risk assessments, safe machinery, and COSHH controls in place. For each product you make, check it meets the safety rules and carries the right UKCA or CE mark. If you answer no to any item, stop and follow the linked guide first.

  • Write risk assessments and put safe systems of work in place
  • Control hazardous substances under COSHH with LEV and health checks
  • Guard and maintain machinery under PUWER, use trained operators only
  • Do a fire risk assessment and reduce manual handling risks
  • Hold employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million
  • Check consumer goods meet the General Product Safety Regulations
  • Toys must meet safety rules and carry a UKCA or CE mark
  • PPE must be classified, tested by an approved body, and marked
  • Check Northern Ireland rules separately if you supply there
  • Stop and follow the linked guide if you answer no to any item
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Related guides in Health & Safety

Use this checklist to confirm your business meets its obligations before a production run. Work through each item and answer yes or no. If you answer no, follow the linked guide before you proceed.

Workplace health and safety is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain and by HSENI in Northern Ireland. The product-safety, toys, PPE and hallmarking regimes are enforced by OPSS and local Trading Standards (and the assay offices for hallmarking). Medical devices are registered with and overseen by the MHRA. The product-conformity regimes are Great Britain regimes — if you supply Northern Ireland, check the position separately. Each section names the body that applies.

Section 1 — Every maker (workshop and people)

These workplace and employment duties apply to every maker, whatever you make. Confirm each one.

  1. 1

    Have you written your risk assessments and put safe systems of work in place?

    Your general duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of your people. Risk-assess benches, machinery, hot work and chemical processes, and put safe systems of work, training and supervision in place. If not, follow "Set up and run a safe other-manufacturing workshop".

  2. 2

    Have you assessed and controlled your hazardous substances under COSHH?

    COSHH requires control of solders and fluxes, plating and pickling chemistry, casting fumes, lacquers, adhesives and dusts, with local exhaust ventilation and health surveillance where required.

  3. 3

    Is your machinery safeguarded, maintained and inspected under PUWER?

    Presses, lathes, polishing and grinding wheels, moulding machines, kilns and tools must be guarded, maintained and used only by trained operators under PUWER.

  4. 4

    Have you assessed manual handling and carried out your fire risk assessment?

    Reduce hazardous handling of stock and finished goods. Assess fire risk from finishes, solvents, dust and hot work under the fire-safety regime for your nation.

  5. 5

    Do you hold employers' liability insurance and meet your equality and data duties?

    Hold at least £5 million of cover once you employ anyone. Do not discriminate under the Equality Act 2010 (or separate NI equality law enforced by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland). Comply with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, registering with the ICO unless exempt.

Section 2 — Placing your products on the market

Confirm the regime for each product you make. The product-conformity regimes are Great Britain regimes (medical devices are UK-wide). Check Northern Ireland separately if you supply there.

  1. 1

    Do your consumer goods meet the general product safety duty?

    Goods outside a specific regime — jewellery, instruments, sports goods, brushes and miscellaneous goods — must be safe under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, enforced by OPSS and Trading Standards. If not, follow "Place jewellery, toys, medical devices and other goods on the market".

  2. 2

    Do your toys meet the Toys (Safety) Regulations?

    Products for play by children under 14 must meet the essential safety requirements, complete conformity assessment, carry conformity marking (UKCA, or CE which is still accepted on the GB market) and a declaration of conformity, with safety warnings.

  3. 3

    Does your PPE meet the conformity requirements?

    Safety equipment must be classified by risk category, conformity-assessed (with an approved body for Categories II and III), marked (UKCA, or CE which is still accepted on the GB market), and supported by technical documentation and a declaration.

  4. 4

    Have you registered your medical devices with the MHRA?

    Medical and dental devices must meet the essential requirements, be classified and conformity-assessed, be registered with the MHRA (or via a UK Responsible Person if overseas), and be supported by post-market surveillance and vigilance.

  5. 5

    Are your precious-metal articles hallmarked?

    Articles of gold, silver, platinum or palladium above the exemption weights must be assayed and hallmarked by a UK assay office before you describe or sell them as precious metal.

If you answered no to anything

Work through the guide linked in that item before your production run. The two task guides — the safe-workshop spine and placing products on the market — set out what to do. Start from the router if you are not sure which apply to you.

Official sources

Authoritative health and safety and product-conformity guidance.