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| RoHS RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) regulations were enacted by the European Union (effective July 1, 2006). California has adopted similar legislation (effective January 1, 2007). The California law uses the EU RoHS directive as its guide. |
| Site Name | Description |
| Dionics PLC
(consultants) |
"Our goal is to help companies minimize the financial and administrative
burden the legislation (2002/95/EC and 2002/96/EC) introduces, whilst complying fully with their legal obligations across Europe."
QualityMgr's tip: Try the self-assessment link for useful information. |
| European Union | European Union Law Download the PDF version of "DIRECTIVE 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances.." |
| RoHS "Home" (U.K.) | "Working with EEE Producers to deliver compliance with RoHS in the U.K."
QualityMgr's tip: Click the Decision Tree link. It serves as a guide that can answer many questions. |
| Wikipedia | Wikipedia provides a good foundation for understanding the regulations, with quality links. |
| Product Safety and Electromagnetic Compatibility
These sites are intended to be the "official" sites of governmental entities, and other organizations which have "ownership" of regulations, such as UL. |
| Tips for searching: ~On many sites, search features are weak--they fail to find common standards. If your search comes up empty, try using only part of the search criteria (e.g. EN60950 not found, but is found if a only "60950" is used--or if a space is used between the N and 6!). ~ To search for words on a page, use browser features such as "Edit > Find on page." Notes on Links: ~ Most of these links will open a separate browser window to counter sites that disable the back button. ~ Quoted text is directly from the website. ~ Comments are welcome. |
| Site Name | Description |
| ANSI |
American National Standards Institute
"ANSI is a private, non-profit organization (501(c)3) that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system." |
| CENELEC | CENELEC is the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization.
It was set up in 1973 as a non-profit-making organisation under Belgian Law.
It has been officially recognised as the European Standards Organisation in its field by the
European Commission in Directive 83/189/EEC.
QualityMgr's Tip: Acronym tab at the top of the page links to a general list of acronyms, from ACTE to ZSMP . |
|
CSA (Canadian Standards Association) |
From the site: "We test products for compliance to national and international standards,
and issue certification marks for qualified products. Certification marks tell potential customers
and users that a product has been evaluated by a formal process-involving examination, testing
and follow-up inspection-and that it complies with
applicable standards for safety and performance."
QualityMgr's comment: CSA is very active in the U.S., and is a good alternative to U.L. for product safety projects. |
| Consumer Product Safety (U.S.) |
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
From the site: "The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually." QualityMgr's comment: Note the product recall list. This is the place you NEVER want to see your product listed. This page is the portal to all recalls: Recall page--general information and searches |
| Electronics Industry Alliance | From site: "The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) is a national trade organization that includes
the full spectrum of U.S. manufacturers.
The Alliance is a partnership of electronic and high-tech associations and companies whose mission is
promoting the market development and competitiveness of the U.S.
high-tech industry through domestic and international policy efforts."
QualityMgr's Note: This organization was formerly named the "Electronic Industries Association." |
| European Union- Harmonized Standards | Portal for European Union Standards. |
| FCC (Search Engine) | Good starting point for finding the actual FCC regulations. The FCC does not charge for them, unlike some other "regulators." |
| FDA | The U.S. Food and Drug Agency regulations apply to medical equipment manufacturers. |
| FTC | The Federal Trade Commission is another U.S. agency that has information on regulations which are important to any business importing or exporting products. |
| IEEE Society | The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers--Index of societies within IEEE. QualityMgr's comment: The IEEE is influential in formulating regulations as technologies evolve. |
| IEC |
The International Electronic Commission is the source of worldwide regulations
on safety and emissions.
QualityMgr's comment: Limited access for the general public. |
| IEC "CB Scheme" | The IEC System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrical Equipment is based in
Geneva, Switzerland.
QualityMgr's comment: Site explains the "CB" report scheme used for international safety standards. |
| ISO | The International Organization for Standardization generates the ISO9000 series of regulations relating to quality systems for design, manufacturing, and service businesses. |
| Japan--VCCI |
Voluntary Control Council for Interference
QualityMgr's comment: This is an important site if you plan to export electronic products to Japan. It is a "voluntary" program, but be prepared if customers ask for this approval! For an introduction, use the "Q & A" link, which has "FAQs" on the left margin. |
| Lab Accreditation
NVLAP |
National Voluntary Lab Accreditation Program used to identify "reputable" test labs.
QualityMgr's tip: Check the "Program Summary" for an overview of this accreditation. |
| Safety--
OSHA NRTL |
Link to the federal law (29 CFR Part 1910.7) with the requirements for Nationally Recognized Test Labs (such as CSA, ETL, UL, etc.) . |
| Safety--
OSHA FAQ's |
Frequently Asked Questions
QualityMgr's comment: This is a good alternate the the OSHA homepage as a starting point that is useful for getting your bearings in the world of "29 CFR Part 1910." |
| Standards-
NIST |
National Institute for Standards and Technology
From site: "The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Commerce Department's Technology Administration. NIST's mission is to develop and promote measurement, standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life." |
| UL Home Page |
Underwriters Laboratories
QualityMgr's Tip: Click on the "Testing, Management Systems,.." button to get to the database to find information on manufacturers' UL approved products. |
| UL Standards Information | Catalog includes the scope of products covered by each standard. |
| ©Copyright 2001-2009, Dane Tovey
To contact Quality Mgr., use the mail address below (you'll have to type it, due to spammer/bots):  |