Be sure you are understanding the difference between the declaration of conformity (a "one pager" where someone of stature in the company says the product conforms to the law) and the "technical documents" (an often much bigger file that can demonstrate that it does indeed conform).
I quote "technical documents" because it has different names under different directives. The Machinery Directive speaks of a Technical Construction File. The Low Voltage Directive speaks of Technical Documentation. The EMC Directive speaks of both a Technical Construction File and an a Technical File. Generally TCF is the universal abbreviation in the "trade" The required location of DoC's and TCF's and varies from directive to directive. With regard to TCF's... the Machinery Direcitve the manufacturer *or* his representative in the EU must have ensured and be albe to guarantee the technical construction file is available on his premises (i.e. not necessarily on EU soil). For the Low Voltage Directive the manufactuture must keep the technical documentation on "community territory." There is similar variation for DoC's. For example, under the Machinery Directive, the DoC must accompany the machine or safety component or "interchangeable equipment". The MD also has a special provision for a Declaration of Incorporation for machine components which other directives do not have. For the Low Voltage Directive the DoC must be kept with the TCF (i.e. in EU territory). For the EMC Directive the DoC must be "held at the disposal of the competent authority". There are guides published by the European Commission that provide more detail on this topic for each directive. Regards, -Lauren Crane -----Original Message----- From: Stephen Irving To: [email protected] Sent: 12/10/2002 3:38 PM Subject: Location of CE DoCs Hi everyone! I have been hearing a few rumors regarding the requirements for the location of CE Declarations of Conformity, and I am hoping you can help me clear it up. I know that the DoC and TCF need to be stored somewhere on European soil. Beyond this, are there any further requirements for the DoC to be included with the product? Specifically, I am interested in knowing if it is important to include the DoC either with the shipping documentation, in the product instructions, or both. Thanks, Steve ---------------------------- Stephen R. Irving Project Electrical Engineer Lutron Electronics, Co. Inc. +1 (610) 282 - 6468 +1 (610) 282 - 7324 [Fax]
