In Europe, is the issue of electrical inspections of commercial buildings and installed equipment the same as in the U.S., at least as far as electrical inspectors looking for, or requiring, certain certification/listing marks?
In the U.S. an electrical inspector looks for certain marks on electrical products that show that the product is "listed". This requirement comes from the National Electrical Code which is typically adopted into each jurisdictions' local law by reference or transcription. With the Low Voltage Directive now being a CE marking directive, we are lead to believe that the manufacturer's declaration that the product conforms with the directive, and the application of the CE mark, are sufficient to place the equipment on the market. If the certification of a safety agency is requested, the agency would apply the same standard to the product as the manufacturer would. The Commission has published a list of standards in the OJ to which products may be certified and to which products may be declared. Can the safety of CE marked equipment be questioned by electrical inspectors in Europe? Do/might/must they look for certain safety agency marks of "certification"? Are certain marks automatically accepted? Are other marks never accepted? Is there any possibility of one country's/agency's mark being favored over another's? Extend this issue to countries outside of the EU. When countries accept certification marks from outside agencies, are there preferred marks? (This question is not directed to those countries which require their own agency's mark.) These questions are not intended to consider the marketing or customer preference issues, but only the legal ones. Thanks in advance, R. Grant Pinto [email protected] Alcatel Data Networks 1-703-724-2759 1-703-724-2132-fax
