What to expect in 2019

A lot can happen in a year, from upgraded ISO Standards, to the UK’s exit from the EU and its subsequent changes to laws and regulations, here are just a few upcoming events to take note of for 2019.

Updated Standards

To ensure they remain appropriate and relevant, both the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the British Standards Institution (BSI) regularly review their Standards. In 2019, the following updated Standards are due for publication:

ISO 20252

The standard for Market, opinion and social research is currently under review to see if it remains suitable for use. The last edition of this standard was release in 2012.

ISO 20252 is currently at the “50 Approval” stage. This stage is where the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) has been registered for formal approval and is awaiting on a final vote before it can be published. If everything goes well, publication could be expected as early as April.

ISO 22301

The standard for Business Continuity is currently under review to see if it remains suitable for use. The last edition of this standard was release in 2012.

ISO 22301 is currently at the “40.20 DIS ballot initiated” stage. This stage is where the Draft International Standard (DIS) is being voted on and the 12-week voting period started on January 3rd. If this vote, and the subsequent FDIS vote, goes well we could expect to see a new version published as early as July.

BS 8522

The standard for Furniture Removal Activities is currently under review to see if it remains suitable for use. The last edition of this standard was release in 2009.

The BSI do not list the stage of their reviews as the ISO do so it is unclear when this review will be completed and if a new version of the standard will subsequently be made available.

BS EN 15713

The standard for Secure destruction of confidential material is currently under review to see if it remains suitable for use. The last edition of this standard was release in 2009.

As with BS 8522, no stage is listed for this standard.

Brexit

With the UK due to leave the EU on 29th March 2019, everyone is wanting answers about what will happen – especially businesses who work in or with the EU.

The Government’s “Find EU Exit guidance for your business” guide is a useful tool to show what changes UK businesses need to take note of in the coming months. The advice contained in the guide can be filtered to your circumstances, so you can see exactly which parts affect your business.

Environmental regulations

Good news for businesses certified to ISO 14001 – any applicable EU environmental regulation will be rolled into UK law. It had been thought that the UK may have its own environmental laws, and while it is still open for this to occur post-Brexit, for now the UK will follow the EU’s lead.

Read more about the effect Brexit will have on environmental regulation.

CE marking

Companies who manufacture and sell steel and aluminium structures and structural products within the EU or export into the EU still have to follow EU CE marking regulations. However, they would now need their conformity assessed by an EU-recognised body – no current UK-based conformity bodies will be allowed to do this.

Read more about the possible impact of Brexit on CE marking requirements.

Data protection

Rules governing the collection and use of personal data are currently set at an EU-level by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If the UK leaves the EU having made no arrangements for data protection, there would be no immediate change in the UK’s own data protection standards ¹ because the Data Protection Act 2018 would remain in place, incorporating the GDPR alongside it.

Read more about the changes to data protection laws after Brexit.

Accreditation bodies

Even with a no-deal scenario, it is unlikely that there will be any changes to UK accreditation bodies.

Government plans state that there will be no changes to the United Kingdom Accreditation Service’s (UKAS) role as the UK’s national accreditation body ². This means that most UK conformity assessment bodies, and other UKAS accreditation activities will be unaffected by Brexit.

These plans also confirm that BSI will remain the UK’s National Standards Body and their membership of the international standards bodies, ISO and IEC is unaffected.

Footnotes:

1. Government website – Data protection if there’s no Brexit deal

2. Government website – Trading goods regulated under the ‘New Approach’ if there’s no Brexit deal