PSNet,
My, oh my... these things always raise more questions (some raised
privately, but...)... we started with a simple question regarding
certification of transformers and moved boldly ahead... so here goes....
a) what does 'utilization equipment' mean? is it defined as that
which is behind the wall plug? 'Utilization equipment' should be definable
from the term itself, but... US NEC article 100 definition: Utilization
equipment: Equipment that utilizes electric energy for electronic,
electromechanical, chemical, heating, lighting, or similar purposes. My
interpretation is everything that uses electricity for any purpose.
b) don't OSHA requirements only apply to the workplace? but
unapproved products may be sold for consumer use? I certainly didn't
specifically state that OSHA applies to the workplace, but that is true -
any commercial or industrial work is covered. I did assume that Brian's
equipment was commercial/industrial because of the name of his company.
The latter statement is not true, however. Although there is no uniform
national law regarding certification of appliances in the USA, there are
10,000 overlapping jurisdictions that implement the NEC in various ways
thruout the nation. In many jurisdictions, such as the City of Portland,
it is illegal to offer for sale any electrical appliance which is not 3rd
party certified (read NRTL approved, altho I bet you won't find the NRTL
term in the code). Although enforcement is spotty, I do know of a case
where a retailer was forced to remove some hi-fi equipment from the shelves
because it didn't comply.
c) 'careful... Telcos being public utilities are exempted....' I
know of no such written exemption... moreover, the Regional telcos here in
the US are quickly invoking the need for 3rd party NRTL certification of
equipment that they purchase... I have personal experience with a company
locally who have scrambled for the last year or so to get certification of
their telco products to meet their customer's certification requirement.
Further, being a member of IEC TC74, I see what IEC 950 (and it's clones)
are adding to include telco equipment - which is being driven by the
telco's as they move into an unregulated equipment market...
So, to summarize... In the USA, all electrical equipment is
required to be 3rd party certified. As was mentioned, uniformity of
enforcement is a major issue but, when you're caught, your stuck with the
consequences - which is usually loss of sales... so go figure, you can try
to avoid the 3rd party certification but top company officials should be
aware of the risk that is being taken and be prepared for the
consequences...
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Peter E Perkins
Principal Product Safety Consultant
Tigard, ORe 97281-3427
+1/503/452-1201 phone/fax
[email protected] email
visit our website:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/peperkins
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