New World wide Safety Regs.

[Al_The_Man]

I guess there is a move by the International Safety organizations to tighten up commercially sold electrical/electronic equipment.
Here is a link to the full report, excerpt below.
I wonder if China has a copy!!
Al.

Planning to sell your mains-powered product around the world Page of

Conforming with Worldwide Safety and EMC/EMI Standards

Nov 1, 2010 12:00 PM
Don Tuite Analog & Power Editor, Electronic Design

KEY ELECTRONIC PRODUCT CONFORMANCE MARKS

ALL PRODUCTS MUST MEET VARIOUS REGULATORY COMPLIANCE requirements for safety, emissions, and other criteria before they can be sold globally. All industrial nations require specific marks on products before they can be sold there. Testing and certifying compliance are the keys to getting those marks. For electronic products, safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) are key certification issues.

In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) dictates the testing requirements for EMC and EMI. Products can be Class A, marketed for commercial or industrial use and not intended for home use, or Class B, targeting home use. Class B requirements tend to be more strict than Class A requirements.

Stateside, the registered certification marks of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) mean that UL or a nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL) has tested and evaluated representative samples of the product and determined that it meets ULÍs specified product safety requirements(a). The negative impact of lacking a UL mark may be more de facto than de jure, but it's just about as crippling.




The Occupational Safety and Health Administration won't let products without the mark be used in businesses. Also, under the National Fire Code, electrical inspectors won't allow the product to be installed in buildings. You may be obligated contractually to have a UL mark on your product, or some customers might not sell it. And, savvy consumers look for the UL mark on products they buy.

In Europe, all products must have a CE or “Conformite Europeenne” mark (b). The CE mark is all-inclusive. It shows that the product complies with the “essential requirements” of European laws or directives. It also indicates the product's conformance to legal requirements with respect to safety, health, the environment, and consumer protection in the European Union.

The CE marking is mandatory for certain product groups, but it can be achieved either by using an external test house like an NRTL in the U.S. or by a company's internal self-certification process. More information is available from the U.S. Department of Commerce at Export.gov - CE Mark.

[john_100]

It will be interesting to see what positive effects the new reg will have
other than the profits of the those involved with the testing and certification

having received a shock from seven tv /monitors all with the C.E mark
and linked together with BNC connectors
they all had internal switch mode power supplies and no earth connection
( for a moment I was part of a circuit from a BNC connector to earth ! )

To sell all over the world more and more equipment is now sold with 100V to 240V
switch mode power supplies that don't have an earth connection
and can be used any where without any voltage selection

with no earth there is a small leakage current to any exposed signal "earth"
this all adds up

the job's worths are busy making them the norn and trying to ban
adaptors with ordinary mains transformers that don't have this leakage problem


With laptops wired to add on hubs , external drives etc
all with additional power supplies you can have the same situation

John