News Update
India - Mandatory registration for electronic products - effective date postponed
Australia/New Zealand - RCM Mark
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan - Customs Union (CU) Regulation Effective
India
Mandatory Registration - Effective Date Postponed
On September 7, 2012, the Department of Electronics & Information Technology issued the Electronics & Information Technology Goods (Requirement for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2012. Fifteen (15) electronic products will require compliance to the applicable Indian safety standards and mandatory registration before they are imported, distributed, or sold in India. The products include video games, laptop/notebook/tablet, plasma/LCD/LED televisions, optical disc players, visual display units, microwave ovens, printers and scanners, wireless keyboards, telephone answering machines, amplifiers, electronic musical systems, electronic clocks, set top box, and automatic data processing machines. The Order was to come into force April 3, 2013. However, the effective date has been postponed to July 3, 2013 based on the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) notification dated March 20, 2013.
UL India Receives BIS Accreditation
UL India received accreditation from BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) to test for ITE and Audio/Video products covered under the Electronics & Information Technology Goods Order, 2012, which becomes effective April 3, 2013. This order requires testing to the applicable Indian Safety (IS) standard from accredited BIS recognized laboratories. As part of the Registration process, the test report will be used to support the manufacturers "Self-declaration" to the IS standard. With an increasing demand for electronics products in India, the government developed this mandatory registration scheme with the aim to mandate technical standards in the interest of public health and safety. The scheme will also serve as global quality standards for domestic manufacturers to follow so that they can compete with imports by meeting international safety standards.
Japan
Discontinue Issuance of Circle PSE Mark Certificates
As instructed by METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), UL Japan has discontinued issuing circle PSE Mark certificates for Non-Specified products covered by DENAN (DENAN (DENKI YOHIN ANZEN HO) - The Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law. Since the circle PSE Mark is a manufacturer's self-declaration marking affixed to products upon compliance to the applicable standards, METI considers it confusing if a conformity assessment body issues a certificate that may give an impression that the conformity assessment body grants the use of the circle PSE Mark. Please note that UL still provides testing (not certification) services to verify compliance to the circle PSE mark requirement.
Australia/New Zealand
New Rules Apply for RCM Mark
The RCM mark may be used in place of the C-Tick mark to demonstrate compliance with EMC, Radio and Electrical Safety regulations. Between March 01, 2013 and March 01, 2016 the Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA) in Australia and Radio Spectum Management (RSM) in New Zealand will be phasing out the existing C-Tick and A-Tick marks and most electrical regulators will be phasing out the current Electrical Safety Approval number marking and replacing this with the RCM Mark.
In addition, requirements for an annual online registration of a "Responsible Supplier" (in-country representative) on a National Database and online registration of Level 2 in-scope (medium safety risk) and Level 3 in-scope (high safety risk) electrical equipment when sold in an Australian (or New Zealand) jurisdiction, which has adopted the Electrical Equipment Safety Scheme (EESS), will also be phased in.
Key Dates:
March 01, 2013: New suppliers to market must use RCM mark in place of C-Tick or A-Tick and register on National Database.
September 01, 2013: All in-scope electrical equipment sold in an EESS jurisdiction must have the Responsible Supplier registered on the National Database. Level 2 and Level 3 in-scope electrical
equipment model references must also be registered on the National Database.Documentary evidence required to be available for Level 1 in-scope electrical equipment.
March 01, 2016: All in-scope electrical equipment sold in an EESS jurisdiction, or required to be labelled under ACMA (or RSM) labelling notices must be marked with the RCM mark in place of Electrical Safety
Approval number, C-Tick or A-Tick. All Responsible Suppliers must be registered on the National Database.
Note: The ACMA require that a Responsible Supplier is registered on the National Database before new equipment is marked with the RCM mark in place of the C-Tick or A-Tick marks.
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan
Technical Regulations in Effect
The Customs Union Technical Regulation (CU TR 004/2011) N° 768 "safety of low-voltage equipment" (LV CU TR) and CU TR 020/2011 N° 879 "EMC of technical devices" (EMC CU TR) published on August 16, 2011 and December 9, 2011, respectively, became effective February 15, 2013. Manufacturers must apply for certification according to the new LV CU TR 004/2011 and EMC CU TR 020/2011. The CU Certificate or Declaration will allow this product to circulate in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan without the individual national certificates.
For additional information go to GMA page for Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
China
Updated GB Standards for EMC
As announced on December 31, 2012 the Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China (SAC) published updated EMC GB Standards for products covered under the Information Technology Equipment, Electronics/Entertainment, and Household and similar equipment categories.
GB17625.1:2012 (based on IEC 61000-3-2:2009, Ed. 3.2): Electromagnetic compatibility - Limits - Limits for harmonic current emissions (equipment input current < 16 A per phase); Effective Date July 1, 2013
GB13837:2012 (based on IEC/CISPR 13:2009): Sound and television broadcast receivers and associated equipment - Radio disturbance characteristics - Limits and methods of measurement; Effective Date July 1, 2013
Additional details on how this will impact the certification requirements will be provided upon official announcement from China Quality Certification Center (CQC).
