Yes, Juan, it is confusing. Let me see if I can help. The National Electrical Code, published by the National Fire Protection Association, sets the framework for all of the electrical safety laws in the US. The Code has been adopted by virtually all local electrical authorities. If your equipment is to be installed as part of the building installation - for example, permanently wired - the equipment must comply with the Code. The Code says that the equipment must be "Listed" by an acceptable test laboratory. An acceptable test laboratory is called a "National Recognized Test Laboratory" (NRTL) and is certified by a division of the federal government -OSHA - Occupational, Safety, and Health Administration.
The Code does not cover equipment that is not considered part of the building installation, a personal computer for example. Some states and some cities have laws requiring that equipment sold to the public be "Listed". San Francisco and Los Angeles are two examples of cities that have such laws. I also understand the state of Virginia has such a law. So if you sell to the general public, your equipment must be Listed to ensure that you comply with these local laws. Finally, the Occupational, Safety, and Health Administration of the federal government regulates safety in the workplace. This law has precedence over all local laws. The regulations state that all electrical equipment used in the workplace must be "Listed" by an NRTL. Who are NRTLs? - UL, CSA, TUV Reinland, ETL, Factory Mutual, MET just to name a few. One word of caution - not all inspectors understand what an NRTL is and who is and who is not a NRTL. They all recognize UL, but some inspectors may question other marks. I hope this helps. Get your equipment Listed. Richard Woods Sensormatic Electronics These ideas are mine alone since no one else would claim them. ---------- From: Juan Pedro Peña To: 'EMC-PSTC' Subject: EU / USA regulatory law List-Post: [email protected] Date: Tuesday, January 21, 1997 2:50PM However, I don't know how is the situation in USA. I know if you have UL mark, you can sell in any state, but that means you only can use the UL associated laboratories and you have to pay the certification fee every year. Much more expensive than the EU system. Is it that true? Are there any other cheaper system? Are there any clear and single law like the EU Directives? Are there any WEB in which I could see the corresponding law? Thank you very much for your answers. ======================================================== Juan P. Pena / Electrical Safety Area Company: CETECOM, S.A. (http://www.pta.es/ing/empresas/cetecom.html) e-mail: [email protected] The opinions are personal, not necessarily corporate. ========================================================
