Yearly Archives: 2013

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AS/NZS 60669

Standards Australia has now released AS/NZS 60669.1 and AS/NZS 60669.2.1. It is important that any electronic switches, including dimmers, wall switches, cordline switches, etc. are tested to the Australian version of the standard, or to the IEC standard including the AU deviations.

AS/NZS 61347.2.13

This standard was released on 30 September 2013 and has some deviations to the IEC standard. We will continue to accept IEC 61347-2-13 with the addition of a deviations report.

Instruction Manuals and Marking

About one third of our rejections are because the marking and instruction manuals have been incorrectly assessed. Please pay special attention to this area. Remember our promise to you is to issue the approval 5 days after receipt of correct documents and you do not want to be held up a further 5 days just because you have supplied the incorrect instruction manual or have missed the marking clause of the standard. It also helps us if the text required by the standard is highlighted in the Instruction Manual which is sent to us.

Earth Connections

We always require a clear photo of the earth connection. This should preferably be included in the test report photos, but can be supplied separately if required. This simple requirement is holding up many applications, so please pay attention to it.[:]

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IPART NSW

IPART in NSW are now accepting JAS ANZ Certificates of Suitability which means that our certificates will be accepted by this body from last Friday.

Here is an excerpt from the official email from IPART:

Subject: Important Change to Requirements for Emerging Lighting Technologies
Date: Fri, Aug 30, 2013 3:48 pm

The Scheme Administrator has approved a change to our acceptance requirements for emerging lighting technologies classified as non-declared articles. The requirements that now apply are outlined below:

Evidence that a non-declared article meets the Scheme’s electrical safety requirements

We will now accept:
1) Electrical safety certificates issued by Fair Trading (NSW) or other state and territory electrical safety regulators, and
2) JAS-ANZ endorsed certificates that comply with JAS-ANZ’s Policy 06/13 – Certification of Non-Declared Articles classified as Emerging Lighting Technologies in the NSW Energy Savings Scheme (ESS).

Photos

We are seeing far too many sub-standard photos being submitted in reports and this is causing delays for us and the applicant while new photos are taken.

If you are submitting an application, clear photos from all angles, inside and out are required. If the photos do not meet the requirements of our certification scheme, we will not progress the application until they are supplied.

RCM Level 3 Product Registration

We are still working with ERAC towards registering SAA certificates on the ESO/ESV RCM database. At this stage the automatic upload function is not fully functional, so we cannot upload the certificates. As well as that, we have requested changes to the Deed of Access to ensure that all confidential information remains confidential and that the ESO and ESV take responsibility for the privacy of the information. This is simply to align the Deed of Access with our Terms and Conditions. As soon as we are able to resolve these issues, we will upload the certificates. Note that ERAC has posted a message extending the deadline for registering level 3 products to 1 March 2013 next year to give us all time to resolve these issues.[:]

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Chinese Website!!!!!!!!! Ni Hao!!!

We have translated our entire website into Standard Chinese and you can access this site simply by clicking the Chinese flag on our website. Hopefully this will assist our Chinese customers to better understand our processes and requirements.

Accreditation

We check all reports to ensure the laboratory is fully accredited for the standard and that the report signatory is an approved signatory. It is important that if a laboratory is not accredited for a particular clause, that they subcontract that particular test to an accredited laboratory and fully document the testing and accreditation of the lab concerned. This is a key reason why projects are held up and we urge our partners to only send us endorsed reports completed under the scope of the laboratory’s accreditation.

Photos

We are increasingly having to ask for more detailed photo files as some of the reports we are receiving are not strictly following the ISO 17025 requirements for photographs in reports. We require detailed photo files for both new applications, as well as renewals and in the case of renewals, the photos must be from a recent sample. The photo file must include detailed photos from all practicable angles, include visible photos of key components and any earth connections. Taking the extra few minutes to get the photo file right before your application can ensure your application is processed within the published time frame.

Renewals

Declared equipment must have a current approval registration to be sold in the market place and it must be renewed prior to the expiry date. Please allow at least a month before the expiry of your approval to lodge your renewal application. If the standards have changed, or there is further information required, it is best to have some extra time![:]

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Labelling for Australia

The Department of Fair Trading in New South Wales has recently been advising that the RCM mark may no longer be used to demonstrate compliance with electrical safety in their State. Therefore you will have to mark the product with the SAA XXXXXX EA number to satisfy that requirement. It is now law in Queensland that the RCM mark is required for sale in their State once the transition period has expired.
All other States and NZ have agreed to enact legislation as per Queensland. Additionally, if a product is subject to EMC requirements, the RCM mark is required by the ACMA to demonstrate compliance for EMC, again subject to a transitional period.
For this reason we are advising our clients to mark the product with the SAA number and the RCM mark to ensure compliance across different jurisdictions. Overseas manufacturers are advised to ensure that their importers register for RCM as well.

Certificate Registration

Note that SAA will be uploading all certificates into the national database, so RCM registration of certificates will automatically be achieved free of charge for all our applicants. The process is automatic and will generally occur on the day the certificate is issued.

PV Inverters – A proposed amendment to delay compliance requirements for IEC 62109

Standards Australia has released a draft amendment to AS/NZS 5033 (amdt 2) which grants an extension of 24 months from publication of the amendment for compliance to IEC 62109. This was in response to industry feedback. We would anticipate that the draft will be voted through at some stage so the deadline of July 16 2013 for 62109 compliance will no longer be in place. Once the amendment has been published, we will advise through our newsletter. This information also appeared on the CEC website.[:]

Report Requirements

Please help us to help you by endorsing reports with the accreditation logo (eg CNAS or NATA or IANZ or similar). Or if it is a CB report, send us the CB certificate. If the report is sent in this format, we guarantee a quicker turnaround. If we cannot have the report with endorsement, we will require firm evidence that the laboratory in question is accredited for the testing, their equipment is calibrated and the report signatory is also accredited.

Terms and Conditions

Every time you make an application with us, you are required to sign the application form stating that the terms and conditions and your obligations have been read and agreed to. If you are acting as a consultant, it is important that these obligations are communicated to the applicant. So, it would be a great idea if you read them! Please do so, because it tells you exactly what we need from you to make your application go through quickly and contains information about your legal obligations in Australia and NZ once you or the company you represent start selling the product in the market.  https://www.saaapprovals.com.au/files/S-0110_Conditions_&_Obligations.pdf.

Declared Articles / Level 3 items for the EESS

There is a list on our website of declared articles with definitions of exactly what is declared and which standards to use. We keep it updated according to the NSW gazette notice and we would urge you to look here http://www.saaapprovals.com.au/files/Declaring_Definitions_for_Electrical_Products.pdf. This will tell you whether your product is mandatory for a Certificate of Approval or not.

Application Form

The application form is the key to us being able to get your application processed quickly and correctly. There is an excellent guide on our website which takes you through the process: https://www.saaapprovals.com.au/files/S-0021_Approval_App_Guide.pdf. Please have a read/refresher before you do your next application!

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EESS and the new RCM

Australian Regulatory Changes and how they affect stakeholders

This is an information seminar for companies and individuals planning to sell electrical and electronic goods into Australia and laboratories conducting SAA testing. The content will include the following:

• Background to the system.
• What the new system requires.
• How to use the new system.
• How the C-tick and A-tick marks are affected.
• Transition periods.
• Many Frequently Asked Questions.

Presenters are Des Ede and Matt Toohey of SAA Approvals Pty Ltd. They have a long experience in the industry and have been consulting with the authorities to ensure their customers are ready for the new system.

Des and Matt will be available at the conclusion of the seminar to answer questions about the RCM and any other certification matters for Australia.

The location for the seminar is the Lotus Room, 6f Marco Polo Hotel Hong Kong, Harbour City, Kowloon, 9am – 11am on April 26.

The cost is AUD 50 per participant and you can use the following form to register. Please email it back to us.

Name of Participant:
Company Name:
Email Address:

For credit card payments:

Card type:
Card Number:
Card Verification Code:
Name on Card:
Amount to debit from card:

For EFT:

Please use your name and “HK RCM” as reference.
Account details: Bank: Suncorp Metway Ltd,
Cnr Turbot & Albert Sts, Brisbane, Australia.
SWIFT CODE: METWAU4B
Acct Name: SAA Approvals Pty Ltd,
BSB: 484 799; Acct No: 084999851
(Please forward a remittance advice to )[:]

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Easter Shutdown

We are closed on Friday 29 March and Monday 1 April.

EESS and RCM Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Can a Chinese Manufacturer register for the RCM mark?
No – the Responsible Supplier must be based in Australia and only they can register. In practice this will mean that the importer has to register.
2. Which products have to be registered on the new EESS national database?
Only level 2 and 3 products must be registered on the new database. This can only be done by the responsible supplier or their authorised Officer, not by the manufacturer in China. Initially this list is following the Declared Article List which you can find on our website: here
3. What is happening with the C-tick?
The C-tick denotes conformity to the EMC regulations in Australia and NZ. They are transitioning to the use of the RCM mark as well. This means the RCM mark will be the only mark to show compliance with EMC in the future. You can see a detailed summary of what is happening on the ACMA website here.
4. What is happening with New South Wales?
Truthfully, we are unsure what this will mean for NSW importers, as NSW are not participating in the new scheme, so products approved for use in NSW with an SAA approval and no RCM could technically be illegal for sale in States which have legislated for the EESS rules. Note however that if you CHOOSE to use the RCM mark in NSW, you will have to abide by the EESS rules which have been written into the rules governing the use of the RCM mark, AS/NZS 4417.2:2012 which came into force on March 1 2013.
5. What does the Chinese manufacturer have to do?
Exactly the same as before: A. Get the product tested at an accredited laboratory and obtain an endorsed test report. B. Get an SAA certificate. C. Supply the test report and SAA certificate to the importer. D. Make the product exactly as has been tested and approved. E. Mark the product with the RCM mark.
6. Is an SAA certificate still required under the new system?
Yes. If it was required before, then it still is required under the new system.

Help us help you:

Please fill out all sections in the application form. We do not start the 5 working day process until all the correct documents are received. There is a very helpful guide to filling out the form here and some helpful info in Chinese here.[:]

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The RCM Mark

As many of you are aware, there are changes coming to the RCM marking system in Australia. Today (March 1, 2013) AS/NZS 4417.2:2012 comes into effect. AS/NZS 4417.2 is the standard which specifies the requirements of the RCM mark and its placement on electrical and electronic products. In this latest edition, the classification of electrical products has changed from a system of non-declared and declared articles into a 3 tier risk classification, where level 3 is the highest risk and level 1 is the lowest risk. There are different requirements for each level of risk. Please note that the company registering for RCM has to be based in either Australia or New Zealand. This means that overseas manufacturers are not able to register for RCM. The importer in Australia or New Zealand must register for RCM and will be known as the “Responsible Supplier”. We suggest you get in touch with your importer and make sure they are familiar with the new regulations.

The EESS

The EESS is the new regulatory system which is designed to be used with the RCM mark. At this stage only Queensland has the legislation in place for the new system (from today March 1, 2013) and New South Wales has declared they will not be using the new system. We are not certain when the other States and territories will be introducing the legislation. There is substantial uncertainty about how the new system will work out for importers, but there is no cause for concern. For the high risk items, you will still need an SAA certificate and we are working with ERAC to ensure we can upload the certificate details to the national RCM database. This will enable your importer to register the high risk items and there is a transition period to ensure they have time to do so. It does not require any action from overseas certificate holders or manufacturers or laboratories.

Questions

We are sure you will have a lot of questions about the EESS and the new RCM system. Remember, the SAA certificate will be required as normal. The RCM system has been changed and has shifted the responsibility to the importer. The importer will be responsible for paying the new system fees and ensuring the product is correctly tested and marked, but they will need the SAA certificate from you, exactly as they do now. If you have any questions, please contact me and I will try and answer as best as I can.[:]