Regulation 2016/425 and the Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018: Great Britain

Authorised representatives obligations for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)


Manufacturers are able to appoint authorised representatives to perform certain tasks on their behalf under a written mandate.


Mandated authorised representatives for the GB market can be based in GB or Northern Ireland, but cannot be based outside the UK. A manufacturer can only mandate an authorised representative established in the UK, under the Regulations as they apply in GB.


No GB-based authorised representatives are recognised under EU law. This means GB-based authorised representatives cannot carry out tasks on the manufacturer’s behalf for PPE being placed on the Northern Ireland and EEA markets. Therefore, a GB manufacturer selling PPE to the EEA or into Northern Ireland, who wishes to appoint an authorised representative to carry out tasks for them in respect of that PPE, must appoint an authorised representative based in Northern Ireland or the EEA.


The mandate shall at least allow the authorised representative to perform the following tasks:


  • keeping the declaration of conformity and the technical documentation at the disposal of the market surveillance authority in the UK for 10 years after the PPE has been placed on the GB market
  • further to a reasoned request from the enforcement authority in the UK, providing that authority with all the information and documentation necessary to demonstrate the conformity of the PPE
  • cooperating with the enforcement authority in the UK, at its request, on any action taken to eliminate the risks posed by PPE covered by the authorised representative’s mandate


An authorised representative must comply with all the duties, imposed on the manufacturer under the 2016 Regulation, that they are appointed for and mandated by the manufacturer to perform. A manufacturer remains responsible for the proper performance of any obligations the authorised representative performs on their behalf and an authorised representative is under a duty to perform those tasks, and any failure to do so may make the authorised representatives liable to penalties.


Read more:

Regulation 2016/425 and the Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018: Great Britain - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)


UK Authorised Representatives interested in joining the Association should contact UKARA by email enquiries@ukara.org or apply via https://ukara.org.


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