Portfolio

The company is led by Andrew Gordon who began his career in 1983 working for the largest UK manufacturer of domestic electrical products rising to the role of senior engineer responsible for product testing and certification. In 1995 he joined the Consumers' Association as head of the product safety department where he represented consumers on technical standards committees worldwide and was involved in the preparation of the European Commission's legislation and risk assessment methodology for electrical products.

In 2002 Andrew joined Intertek as head of the product safety department where he developed a range of services for importers and retailers of electrical products. These included training in electrical product safety and regulatory compliance, providing CPPD Points, where appropriate.

This work has taken him abroad delivering market surveillance training in developing countries. Andrew is the author of several reports, the most recent of which concerns children's awareness of risk when using electrical products. Andrew presented the findings of this report at the ICPHSO conference in Washington DC, February 2008 and the Electrical Product Safety Conference hosted by the Electrical Safety Council in London, September 2008.
 

Risk Assessment

Having been involved in the preparation of the product recall guide for the European Commission and risk assessment methodology for the General Product Safety Directive, CECS can assist companies with pre- and post-marketing risk assessment. Support may also be provided when deciding upon corrective action in the event of marketing a dangerous product.

EC Regulatory Compliance

Fulfilling the requirements of EC Regulations, Decisions and Directives is a complex and time-consuming task. Having influenced EC product safety legislation and standards through several years of attending over 13 International and European committees CECS can guide companies through the EC regulatory framework and is able to assist in the preparation of internal quality assurance and production control procedures.

Expert Witness

Having produced over 200 reports for safety cases with many attributable to national product recalls and having experience of giving expert witness testimony under cross examination, CECS can help in dealing with enforcement authority challenges and will assist the defence team all the way to the witness box

Due Diligence

Regulations implementing EC Directives into UK law contain a defence of due diligence. Drawing upon experience of establishing due diligence systems, CECS can assist in developing such systems including the auditing of existing systems and training staff in their application.

Incident Investigation

With experience of producing over 1,500 reports for producers, retailers and enforcement authorities covering safety screening, returns analysis and incident investigations CECS is well placed to provide advice and technical support in this area. CECS can liaise at all levels of a company to resolve technical and complex regulatory issues.

Technical File

Producers of domestic electrical products are required by law to prepare a technical file to accompany the EC Declaration of Conformity when placing electrical products on the EC market. The purpose of the technical file is to allow regulatory bodies to evaluate the conformity of the product with the essential requirements of EC Directives. CECS can assist in the preparation and maintenance of these files including the review of existing technical documentation and support when dealing with overseas suppliers.

Training

CECS has experience of developing and delivering training in electrical product safety and regulatory compliance, supporting Continuous Personal and Professional Development Points (CPPD). Market surveillance training has also been provided for regulatory authorities in developing countries. CECS can design a training course on all aspects of maintaining EC regulatory compliance for new and more experienced staff.