Since the new Directive was published in the official journal of the European Union almost 2 years ago we have been in a ‘transition period’ during which CSA Group has been working with clients to make them aware of 2014/34/EU and to prepare for the switch over. In simple terms, the old Directive will no longer be used for new products after 19th April 2016, meaning any new products certified after this date must conform to the 2014/34/EU Directive.

Manufacturers will be permitted to issue Declarations of Conformity to state compliance to both 94/9/EC and 2014/34/EU alongside their respective dates of application prior to the 20th April 2016. However, for products placed on the market on and after 20th April 2016, changes will need to be made to Declarations of Conformity. Simply put, your Declaration of Conformity must declare conformity to 2014/34/EU after 20th April 2016.

For ATEX Certificates, if a project was started and completed before the 20th April 2016, the certificate will state compliance to Directive 94/9/EC but will remain valid after the 20th April 2016 as this is legislated in the new Directive 2014-34/EU.

The same is true of Quality Assurance Notifications (QANs), in that current certificates will be valid under the new Directive but will need to be updated at the next revision of re-issue of that QAN.

The ‘Blue Guide’ is a useful reference for guidance on the marking of the manufacturer’s address on products. Section 4.2.2 on traceability provisions sets out the requirements to indicate a manufacturer’s name and address. You’ll also find examples in the Guide which will give you an idea of traceability on various sizes of products.

CSA Group can provide more detailed advice in response to specific client enquiries and we also offer a very competitive, fast turnaround service for companies who wish to upgrade their Sira 94/9/EC certificate to the new Directive.