EU Safety Gate: UV-C product alerts

Introduction

Are you planning on, or selling, UV-C related products? Then download our free Guide on UV-C lights. In de guide you will learn the most important introductory information on UV-C

The EU Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products (Safety Gate) has recently issued notifications of numerous UV-C related products that do not comply, resulting in product recalls from the EU markets.

UV-C lighting products are one of the type of new products ‘re-discovered’ in the Covid-19 pandemic. UV-C radiation can kill or inactivate many micro-organism species, preventing them from replicating. This makes UV-C products a good addition to disinfection solutions. However, with UV-C becoming the next novel product, buying or selling UV-C related products brings its own risks for economic operators*: 

• New risks to consider
• New standards to apply
• New suppliers to buy products from
• New clients to sell to
• Etc. 

Market surveillance in EU Member States, are however also aware of UV-C. RAPEX issued multiple notifications of non-conformity. The products don’t comply with the Low Voltage Directive and the relevant European standard EN 62471. According to the notifications, the non-conformities are related to:

• The product does not emit UV-C radiation. Consequently, it might not kill bacteria or viruses, which could then reach the user, increasing the risk of infection 
• The product emits an unsafe amount of UV-C radiation
• The device's switch can easily detach leaving live parts accessible.

The measures ordered by the market surveillance authorities are:

• Removal of this product listing by the online marketplace
• Recall of the product from end users

Are you planning on, or selling, UV-C related products? Then download our free Guide on UV-C lights to learn the essentials. 

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* Economic operator means the manufacturer, the authorised representative, the importer, the distributor, the fulfilment service provider or any other natural or legal person who is subject to obligations in relation to the manufacture of products, making them available on the market or putting them into service in accordance with the relevant Union harmonisation legislation.