Approval Specialists Forum and Blog

Australian and New Zealand importers should be careful when considering purchase and importation of travel adaptors for sale or distribution  Austest and Harvest Labs have received numerous submissions from clients for testing and certification of travel adaptors, resulting in most failing to meet AU/NZ requirements and in particular, the dimensional requirements within AS/NZS 3112 as referenced by AS/NZS3122.

The following banned travel adaptor is a good example.

“These adaptors are unsafe as they do not offer adequate protection from contact with live parts, to the point where live 230 volt parts can be accessed and touched easily.

“Energy Safety is concerned about this style and type of adaptor, particularly as they may be used at skirting board level and could be easily accessible to small children and infants,” says Richard Lamb, Energy Safety Compliance Officer.

The adaptors have been sold through tourist gift shops and pharmacies and on online auction sites such as Trade Me.  A supplier, Melric International Limited, has already initiated a voluntary recall.  It is believed the adaptors first appeared in late 2007.

Plug adaptors are intended for use by overseas travellers with small low power personal appliances that they carry with them, such as a cell phone charger, laptop computers, or battery charger for camera equipment.

“Energy Safety’s advice is do not use these universal adaptors, return them to where you purchased them and seek a refund,” says Richard Lamb.” (extract, NZ Ministry of Economic Development, Energy Safety).

 

Austest Sydney is proud to announce the following additions to our accredited test scope covering safety testing of domestic and commercial electrical items, LED lighting, IP Testing  and MEPS / Energy Efficiency:

AS/NZS 60335

• Part 2.2 Vacuum Cleaners and Water-Suction Cleaning Appliances
• Part 2.21 Storage Water Heaters
• Part 2.31 Range Hoods
• Part 2.43 Clothes Dryers and Towel Rails
• Part 2.54 Surface Cleaning Appliances including Steam Cleaners
• Part 2.75 Commercial Dispensing Appliances and Vending Machines
• Part 2.82 Amusement Machines
• Part 2.89 Commercial Refrigerating Appliances

Lighting

• AS/NZS61347.1 Lamp Controlgear – General and Safety
• IEC/EN61347-1 Lamp Controlgear – General and Safety  
• IEC/EN 61347-2-13 Particular Requirements for d.c or a.c supplied electronic controlgear for LED modules

 IP Testing to AS/NZS & IEC & EN 60529

 MEPS

• AS/NZS 62301 Measurement of Standby Power
• AS/NZS62087.1 Power Consumption of Audio and Video Equipment General
• AS/NZS 62087.2.1 Power Consumption Digital Television Set-Top Boxes
• AS/NZS 62087.2.2 Power Consumption of Television Sets

Austest Laboratories is accredited for the above testing by A2LA, the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation.  Austest has chosen A2LA as our accreditation provider, giving our customers the widest possible global acceptance of accredited reports. A2LA has accredited more than 2000 organisations and is a signatory to several multilateral mutual recognition arrangements including the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC), and the InterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC). A2LA and NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities) are both signatories to the ILAC and APLAC MRA’s for mutual acceptance of test data and reports.

A copy of our complete scope of accredited testing including EMC and Telecommunications is downloadable from here

Austest Sydneys’ Electrical safety Lab has taken delivery of a 6KVA 1-300V AC (420 VDC), 1-999.9Hz AC Power Source to assist multi-country CB standards testing and also to support local manufacturers in simulating 60Hz and other supply variations on their equipment.

 

Enquiries to austest@austest.com.au

Following a recent successful CB Scheme audit of our Sydney lab, Austest Laboratories has expanded the scope of safety standards to include IEC 60335-2-82 for Amusement Machines.  This allows Austest to issue a globally accepted CB report and associated TUV Rheinland Japan CB Certificate for various gaming machines, currency dispensers, weighing machines and poker / slot machines. 

The IECEE CB Scheme is the world’s first truly international system for mutual acceptance of test reports and certificates dealing with the safety of electrical and electronic components, equipment
and products. It is a multilateral agreement among participating countries and certification organizations. 

This adds to our existing scope of CB Sheme Accredited testing which now covers the following standards:

• IEC 60065 Audio and Video Equipment
• IEC 60598-1   Luminaires, General Requirements
• 60598-2-4 Portable Luminaires
• 60598-2-6 Luminaires with built-in transformers for filament lamps
• 60598-2-20 Lighting Chains
• IEC   60335-1 Household and similar electrical appliances, General Requirements
• 60335-2-3 Electric Irons
• 60335-2-6 Cooking Ranges, Hobs, Ovens
• 60335-2-9 Portable Cooking Appliances including Grills and Toasters
• 60335-2-15 Appliances for Heating Liquids inc Coffee Machines, Kettles, Slow Cookers, Rice Cookers etc
• 60335-2-23 Appliances for Skin or Hair Care inc Hair Straighteners and Dryers 
• 60335-2-24 Refrigerating Appliances including Ice Cream Appliances and Ice Makers
• 60335-2-29 Battery Chargers
• 60335-2-30 Room Heaters
• 60335-2-80 Electric Fans
• 60335-2-82 Amusement Machines
• IEC60950-1 (Edition 1 & 2) Information Technology Equipment inc Telecommunications
• IEC60950 (Edition 3) Information Technology Equipment inc Telecommunications
• IEC 61558-1 Transformers and Power Supplies (General)
• 61558-2-6  Safety Isolating Transformers

The above mentioned CB tests we provide are just a subset of our overall safety test capabilities, for a full listing refer to our website and our A2LA listing for safety accreditations and reports issued under ILAC endorsement for global acceptance.

We’re often asked about the approval requirements for grid connect inverters, which seem to be the hot product for 2010 (along with LED lighting), as people move towards a carbon neutral footprint for their homes.  Austest is approved by the Clean Energy Council for testing to AS/NZS3100 and is the main safety test requirement for inverters.  AS/NZS60950.1:2003 may also apply (see below).

Aside from the standard EMC requirements to satisfy the ACMA’s C-Tick regime (applicable to most electrical items), Grid Connect Inverters require safety certification to be provided to many electricity retailers prior to connection.  Safety certification is based on several electrical safety standards.  The following is a brief summary of the approval requirements for Grid Inverters.

• AS/NZS 3100, may also include AS/NZS 60950
• AS 4777
• AS/NZS 60529
• AS/NZS 61000.6.3
• Electrical safety Approval/Certification
• ACMA C-Tick Compliance Folder and sDoC
• Listing with Clean Energy Council

 

AS/NZS 3100, may also include AS/NZS 60950

AS/NZS3100 is a joint Australia and New Zealand safety standard covering isolation from hazardous voltages, temperature rise, flammability and other safety aspects relating to a mains voltage device. 

AS/NZS60950 covers information technology and telecommunications equipment, clauses of which are applicable if the grid inverter has communications ports such as USB/RS232/RS485, ethernet or modem connections.

AS4777 testing is performed by Reslab and covers;

AS 4777.2-2005, which specifies the requirements for inverters, with ratings up to 10kVA for single-phase units or up to 30kVA for three-phase units, for the injection of electric power through an electrical installation to the electricity distribution network.

AS 4777.3-2005, which specifies the requirements for grid protection devices intended to be used in inverter energy systems, with ratings up to 10kVA for single-phase units, or up to 30kVA for three-phase units, and for the injection of electric power through an electrical installation to the electricity distribution network.

Contact:Dr H Sharma h.sharma@murdoch.edu.au Phone: +61 (0)8 9360 6620
http://www.rise.org.au/reslab/test.html 

AS/NZS60529 (IP Testing)

Ingress Protection is required for inverters that are located outside, which is the case in the majority of installations.  IP65 requires enclosures to be dust proof and protected from low pressure jets of water (all directions) – limited ingress OK provided no hazard.

AS/NZS 61000.6.3 addresses EMC emission requirements for the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) C-Tick requirements.  EMC emissions testing for inverters covers the following 4 tests:

1. Conducted EMI on AC output (as it feeds into the grid).
2. Conducted EMI on DC input (if cable length can be greater than 30m).  If cable length is less than 30m, and assuming that DC input is only connected to solar panels (and not to a DC supply network), then this test may be omitted.
3. Discontinuous interference.
4. Radiated EMI.

 

All of the above standards can be purchased from Standards New Zealand  http://www.standards.co.nz

Electrical Safety Approval

Austest can provide an electrical safety certificate of suitability in 4-5 days (subject to compliance and required documentation). This 1 week turn-around for certificates comes at NO ADDITIONAL COST to our standard safety cert costs.

ACMA C-Tick Approval

Electrical and electronic products sold in Australia are required to be marked with the C-Tick mark and either the ACMA supplier code or other marking options only available to Australian entities.  As only Australian entities may lodge a request for permission to use the C-Tick (or A-Tick)  http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/lib310117/c01-application_for_permission_to_use_regulatory_marks.pdf, we offer our services as an Australian agent and allow the use of our ACMA supplier code for international customers.

Listing with Clean Energy Council.  Following the above testing, product Approval reports and certs should be sent to the Clean Energy Council, mailto:accreditation@cleanenergycouncil.org.au

The following draft standards are available for you to comment on. The closing date for comment on these draft standards is 7 September 2009.

DR09914CP, AS/NZS 3820:200X  Essential safety requirements
for electrical equipment

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This Standard was prepared by the Joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee QR-012, Conformance Marking to Regulatory Requirements to supersede AS/NZS 3820:1998 on publication. The Standard was prepared in response to a proposal from the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Coordinating Committee.

The objective of this Standard is to provide a set of outcomes-oriented criteria for the safety of electrical equipment, primarily for use by electrical regulators in relation to products for which regulatory approval before sale is not required (non-declared articles). For electrical equipment that is required to be approved by regulators before being placed on the market (declared articles), there are specific regulatory requirements additional to the general requirements given in this Standard.

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To download a free copy of DR09914CP, AS/NZS 3820:200X  Essential safety requirements
for electrical equipment, CLICK HERE

DR09915CP, AS/NZS 4417.2:200X Specific requirements for electrical safety regulatory applications

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This Standard was prepared by the Joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee QR-012, Conformance Marking to Regulatory Requirements, to supersede AS/NZS 4417.2:2001 on publication. This Standard was prepared in response to a proposal from the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council, the Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association and the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association.

The objective of this Standard is to provide the basis for a uniform Australian/New Zealand regulatory compliance marking scheme primarily for electrical products (which may be extended to other classes of products in future).

This part of the Standard deals with electrical safety regulations in Australia and New Zealand. These regulations are undergoing a transition both in the means by which compliance is demonstrated, and in terms of harmonization between Australia and New Zealand. To date in Australia, marking of products with the number of the certificate of approval or certificate of suitability has been the usual means of indicating compliance. It is understood that electrical regulators will continue to accept such marking for a period, in parallel with the use of the RCM.

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To download a free copy of DR09915CP, AS/NZS 4417.2:200X Specific requirements for electrical safety regulatory applications, CLICK HERE

DR09916CP, AS/NZS 4417.1:200X General rules for use of the mark

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This Standard was prepared by the Joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee QR-012, Conformance Marking to Regulatory Requirements, to supersede AS/NZS 4417.1:2000 on publication. This Standard was prepared in response to a proposal from the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council, the Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association and the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association.

The objective of this Standard is to provide the basis for a uniform Australian/New Zealand regulatory compliance marking scheme, primarily for electrical products (which may be extended to other classes of products in future).

Specifies the requirements for the use of a trademark, called the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM), on electrical and electronic products to indicate compliance with regulations applicable to aspects of the product as covered in other parts of this Standard.

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To download a free copy of DR09916CP, AS/NZS 4417.1:200X General rules for use of the mark, CLICK HERE

DR09917CP, AS/NZS 4417.3:200X Specific requirements for electromagnetic compatibility regulatory applications

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This Standard was prepared by the Joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee QR-012, Conformance Marking to Regulatory Requirements, to supersede AS/NZS 4417.3:1996 on publication.

The objective of this Standard is to provide the basis for a uniform Australian/New Zealand regulatory compliance marking scheme primarily for electrical products (which may be extended to other classes of products in future).

This part of the Standard deals with electromagnetic compatibility regulatory requirements in Australia and New Zealand. The requirements are now fully harmonized.

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To download a free copy of DR09917CP, AS/NZS 4417.3:200X Specific requirements for electromagnetic compatibility regulatory applications, CLICK HERE

DR09918CP, AS/NZS 4417.4:200X Specific requirements for radio apparatus regulatory applications

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This Standard was prepared by the Joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee QR-012, Conformance Marking to Regulatory Requirements, to supersede AS/NZS 4417.4:1999 on publication. This Standard was prepared in response to a proposal from the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council, the Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association and the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association. This Standard, Part 4 of the series, was prepared following discussions between industry groups represented on Committee QR-012, the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the New Zealand Ministry of Commerce.

The objective of this Standard is to provide the basis for a uniform Australian/New Zealand regulatory compliance marking scheme primarily for electrical products (which may be extended to other classes of product in future). This Part of the Standard deals with the use of the Regulatory Compliance Mark to indicate that a piece of radio apparatus complies with the relevant radio apparatus regulations in Australia and New Zealand.

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To download a free copy of DR09918CP, AS/NZS 4417.4:200X Specific requirements for radio apparatus regulatory applications, CLICK HERE