17.—(1) A manufacturer may, by written mandate, appoint a person established in the EU as their authorised representative to perform specified tasks on the manufacturer’s behalf.
(2) A manufacturer who has appointed an authorised representative to perform, on the manufacturer’s behalf, a task under these Regulations remains responsible for the proper performance of that task.
(3) The obligations laid down in regulation 5 (Design and manufacture in accordance with essential health and safety requirements) and regulation 6(b) (Technical documentation and conformity assessment) shall not form part of an authorised representative’s mandate.
(4) The mandate shall allow the authorised representative to do at least the following in relation to a product covered by the mandate—
(a)perform the manufacturer’s obligations under regulation 8 (Retention of technical documentation and EU declaration of conformity); and
(b)perform the manufacturer’s obligations under regulation 16 (Provision of information and cooperation);
(5) An authorised representative shall comply with all duties imposed on the manufacturer in relation to each obligation under these Regulations that the authorised representative is appointed by the mandate to perform and, accordingly as far as those duties are concerned, as well as the penalties for failure to comply with those duties, references in these Regulations (except in this regulation) to the manufacturer is to be taken as including a reference to the authorised representative.