Do battery wireless devices need safety assessment?
Yes. A low-voltage battery supply does not exempt an in-scope wireless device from electrical safety assessment under the radio equipment rules in Great Britain. Check the finished device, including its battery and charging arrangements. Cambridge China Bridge helps buyers agree the evidence with Chinese factories.
Why low voltage does not remove the duty
OPSS guidance applies the radio equipment rules to all radio equipment, subject to exclusions, and requires safety conformity. Read together, these requirements mean there is no low-voltage exemption for an in-scope battery-powered wireless device. The voltage limits for the separate electrical equipment rules are not a shortcut out of radio equipment safety assessment.
This guide concerns Great Britain. Start with our electrical import rules guide for the wider obligations; here, the practical question is how to establish safety when the factory says the product is only battery powered.
Define the device and its power arrangements
Send the assessor a description of the finished product, its intended users and use environment. Identify the wireless function, battery chemistry, replaceable or sealed battery arrangement, charging circuit and supplied accessories. State whether it operates while charging and whether buyers supply their own charger.
Ask the assessor to explain which safety standards and tests suit that configuration. Include questions about overheating, short circuits, battery replacement and accessible contacts. Agree the assessment scope before approving a sample or accepting a quotation that excludes safety work.
Ask for safety evidence for the finished product
Radio performance evidence alone does not address the safety requirement: OPSS describes safety, electromagnetic compatibility and efficient radio spectrum use as distinct requirements. Ask the factory to identify where its documentation demonstrates safety, rather than treating every report labelled radio as a safety report.
Compare report photographs, model identifiers and component descriptions with your sample. Ask whether the tested build used the same battery, protection circuit, enclosure and charging accessories. Treat a battery or wireless module report as supporting material and ask the assessor what evidence is still needed for the assembled device. Our CE and UKCA guide covers declarations and marking.
Make the evidence part of the purchase decision
Before placing radio equipment on the Great Britain market, an importer must ensure the manufacturer has carried out the relevant conformity assessment. Make the safety assessment, supporting reports and unresolved findings part of your order review. A supplier's statement that low voltage means no assessment is needed does not resolve that obligation.
Record the approved battery, charging components and enclosure materials in the specification. Require the factory to flag substitutions before using them, and have the assessor review changes that could affect safety. Use our quality inspection guide to plan checks that production matches the approved build.
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Turn a supplier refusal into a clear next step
If the factory refuses safety work, ask it to identify the product configuration and explain the basis for excluding safety assessment. Send that response, the sample details and the existing reports to your assessor. Hold order approval while the scope or evidence remains unresolved.
Cambridge China Bridge can use its staff in China to clarify the actual build with the factory and coordinate evidence requests through our testing and certification service. Agree who supplies the documents, who reviews them and what must be resolved before production.
Frequently asked questions
Do battery-powered wireless devices need electrical safety assessment?
Yes, if they fall within the radio equipment rules. A low-voltage battery supply does not remove the safety requirement in Great Britain.
Is a radio test report enough?
Check its scope. Radio performance evidence alone does not demonstrate safety. Ask where the finished device's safety assessment and supporting evidence are documented.
Does a tested battery cover the whole device?
Use the battery report as supporting evidence. Ask the assessor to review the assembled device, including its charging circuit, protection, enclosure and intended use.
What if the factory changes the battery?
Ask for the proposed battery details before accepting the change. Have the assessor check whether existing evidence still covers the build and whether further assessment is needed.