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Electrical Standards – A Global Demand for 3rd Party Certification With the continuing introduction of complex electrical and electronic systems, there is a need to ensure proper operation and longevity of the critical systems which our safety depends. Governments, independent 3rd party certifiers and trade organizations have become globally active, issuing engineering guidelines, standards and regulatory directives aimed at increased protection of these systems. Knowledge of these organizations and understanding the role of 3rd party certification of components can aid the engineer in designing for regulatory compliance. In the world of electrical and electronic products, compliance with standards means more than compatibility. Compliance with standards means efficacy and very often security and safety for the consumer product or industrial user who depends upon the proper functioning of appliances, process controls or sophisticated factory automation. Electrical standards establish a set of rules, guidelines, common terminology and expected results of performance aimed at establishing order out of potential chaos. All industrialized nations have well developed standards covering all types of products. With the globalization of trade, significant effort has been made to establish global standards to minimize or eliminate differing approaches that act as barriers to trade and the movement of goods. Perhaps the best example of this is the European Union which has acted aggressively to harmonize the various standards, e.g. electrical safety standards, of its member nations, eliminating the previous country by country approach. These organizations develop and issue voluntary standards, but do not investigate or certify product compliance. An example of a NEMA Standard that applies to Fibox enclosure products would be “NEMA 250 – Enclosures for Electrical Equipment.” NEMA 250 is a performance specification that defines how electrical enclosures are to perform vis-à-vis various degrees of water penetration, dust penetration, corrosion resistance and other criteria. NEMA 250 also details the methods and manner of testing the enclosure to verify the claimed level of performance. Therefore, NEMA 250 establishes both defined performance levels and specific testing required to prove compliance. Manufacturers perform these tests and can self-certify that the results indicate compliance to the standard. Alternatively, they can secure the opinion of an independent 3rd party, typically a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) that investigates the manufacturer’s product to assure conformity to the applicable standard. Several 3rd party certifiers include Underwriters Laboratories (UL) (NRTL), CSA International (NRTL), ETL (INTERTEC) (NRTL, KEMA (Netherlands), SGS Group and CQC (China Quality Certification Center). In the US, electrical products are submitted to an NRTL, such as Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), for compliance certification. UL evaluates the product against a Standard, usually an internal UL Standard. These UL Standards are developed by UL and may be based, in part, upon an existing industry standard. For example, parts of “UL 50 - Enclosures for Electrical Equipment” are based upon NEMA 250. If the product is found to comply with the applicable Standard, UL authorizes the manufacturer to apply the UL Mark as proof of compliance. Further, UL monitors the on-going production of the product to ensure continuing compliance with the Standard. In Europe, where self-certification is quite common, manufacturers may choose to have an independent 3rd party verify their in-house testing, or perform an independent set of test procedures. In either event, it will be the manufacturer that issues a Manufacturer’s Declaration of Compliance. However, becoming much more common is a Certificate of Conformity issued in the name of the testing agency on behalf of the manufacturer. (see Figure 1) Unlike a UL Listed Product, there is no on-going inspection of manufacturing to verify continuing compliance. Fibox Enclosures has moved away from self-certification and now submits all its products to 3rd party certifiers. As an example the ARCA JIC series, was originally intended only for the North American market. After development, prior to product introduction, examples of the product were supplied to Underwriters Laboratories for their testing, evaluation, and certification of compliance to the appropriate safety standards. UL Listing was granted prior to product launch. After having ARCA on the market, it became apparent that a demand for CE marking existed as a number of OEM’s specifying ARCA were involved with global applications or exporting into the European Union (EU). CE marking indicates a product complies with applicable European laws or directives regarding safety and consumer protection and is required for product importation into the EU. Generally, one can say that the European analogue of the UL Mark is CE Marking. However, the UL mark does not carry legal weight by itself, but is clearly demanded by consumers, whereas CE marking is required by law. Fibox submitted the ARCA series to SGS FIMKO for evaluation and certification of CE conformity to the applicable European Norms (EN’s) for electrical enclosures. The evaluation was completed successfully and a 3rd party Certificate of Conformity was issued by SGS FIMKO. It is Fibox’s experience, that there is a growing global demand for independent verification of manufacturers’ claims. Whether this is due to the increased complexity of our world, or the unfortunate instances of substandard and counterfeit products reaching the market, we do not know. But, it is clear that more and more of our customers prefer the additional assurance that 3rd party certification provides. About the Author
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