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Frequently Asked Questions (Safety Related)
Does my product require a safety evaluation to be sold
in North America? In the Unites States and Canada, the issue of whether or not an electrical product needs a formalized safety evaluation comes down to the following question: Does the product need to be listed and marked by a testing agency (e.g. UL, CSA, TUV)? The legal requirements for product safety in the US vary from city to city. In some places, the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) require that any electrical product intended to be connected to their electrical distribution systems be listed by a National Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). Some cities and states only require listing for certain types of products. However, if there is a requirement in your intended market, selling an unlisted product there could be considered a crime. In the US, an additional product safety requirement comes from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA requires NRTL listing for, among other things, all electrical equipment intended to be used in the workplace, regardless of locality. In Canada, every Province requires that all electrical equipment intended to be connected to its electrical distribution systems be certified (listed) to Canadian safety standards. The short answer is, if you would like guaranteed access to every market in the US and Canada, you should get your product listed. What is a NRTL? Technically, the term NRTL is only applicable to third-party testing
organizations recognized by OSHA. Therefore, technically the term only
applies to safety requirements in the US. What is listing? Listing is the term generally applied to having a piece of equipment evaluated for safety by a responsible organization, like a NRTL. Traditionally, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has dominated the US market, and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) has dominated the Canadian market. Having a product listed will allow a manufacturer to apply an organization’s marking, such as the UL mark. Once this has been done, that organization will monitor the manufacturing facilities that produce the product to ensure the design does not change, and that certain production line tests are being conducted. Having a product listed can provide market access, as well as give a product a competitive edge. Most importantly, however, listing a product ensures (with the backing of an established organization) that the product should not present a safety hazard to the people who buy it. Does my product require a safety evaluation to be
exported to Europe? Of course, when we talk about what is required for exportation to Europe, we’re talking about the CE mark. The CE mark is required to be placed on products that fall under the scope of any applicable directives. Of course, applying the CE mark is intended to indicate that the manufacturer has met all the essential requirements of any directive that applies to the product. There are several European directives that require product safety issues to be addressed. A common European safety directive is 73/23/EEC, or the Low Voltage Directive (LVD). Any piece of electrical equipment with a supply between 50 and 1000 Volts AC or 75 and 1500 Volts DC is within the scope of this directive. For equipment meeting this criteria, an evaluation of the equipment according to a published harmonized standard under the LVD is required. For further information on the evaluation
required by the harmonized standard applying to your equipment, or for
clarification of any of these issues, contact Andrew Pace at 1-888-226-3837
or andrew@acmetesting.com.
The CB Scheme is an agreement among the 34 member countries of the IEC System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrical Equipment (IECEE). The agreement allows manufacturers of electrical equipment a way to evaluate their products to a certain accepted standards and gain access to every member country. The current IECEE membership is shown below.
Every member country appoints at least one of its local certification bodies (TUV, VDE, etc) as a National Certification Body (NCB). Once appointed, the NCB can decide to be either a Recognizing NCB or an Issuing and Recognizing NCB. Issuing and Recognizing NCBs have the power to evaluate products and issue CB reports and certificates as well as the power to recognize CB reports and certificates from other member countries. Recognizing NCBs only have the power to recognize CB reports and certificates. Therefore, a manufacturer who gets a CB report and certificate from an NCB in one member country is guaranteed the right to apply to every other member country using a single report. Several IEC safety standards are accepted in the CB Scheme. IEC 950, for Information Technology Equipment (ITE) and IEC 1010, for (Lab and Test Measurement Equipment, for example, are common standards used in CB reports. In the United States there are several NCBs. UL
and TUV Rhineland are a couple. To find out if your product is within the
scope of an IEC standard accepted by the CB Scheme, or for clarification on
any of these issues, contact Andrew Pace at 1-888-226-3837 or
andrew@acmetesting.com |
