Brian & PSNet...
Regarding your question as to whether certification is required on
products 'over there' or not...
In the USA, since the publication of the OSHA CFR 1910.303
Certification requirements, there has been such for electrical equipment.
Specifically, 'Every electric utilization system and all utilization
equipment installed after March 15, 1972, and every major replacement,
modification, repair, or rehabilitation, after March 15, 1972, of any part
of any electric utilization system or utilization equipment installed
before March 15, 1972, shall comply with the provisions...'. Yes, you read
it correctly 1972... Further, it calls out: 'Suitability of equipment for
an identified purpose may be evidenced by listing or labeling for that
identified purpose'...
The enforcement has been the issue as OSHA has a very small
national staff. The local inspectors are now beginning to fill in the gap
to examine installed equipment for compliance before it is allowed to be
connected to the mains. There are some large scale implementations of
this... for instance, in a number of states, including ORegon, the state
inspectors have made it quite clear that all equipment going into
semiconductor fabs under construction must be 3rd party, NRTL, listed and
labeled (a really big change for this industry).... The pressure is also
on in those cases where contractors are hired to develop turnkey
installations as the inspectors are on-site as the equipment is appearing
and demand listed equipment (as I've seen in a TV studio project)...
So, as you can see, 3rd party certification to US standards is
becoming more of the norm. It has been the law for a long time (as long as
the Euro Lo Voltage Directive has been around)... strange that enforcement
of these local requirements has developed at about the same time...
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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
- - - - -mail
visit our website:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/peperkins
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