There seems to be some confusion regarding U.S. product safety
regulations. It is not as complicated as some have made it
appear. I will try to simplify this topic.
First, the European Directives may be EU law, but they are only
directed to member states, not manufacturers, over which they
have no legal authority. Read the text of some Directives. The
EU Directives outline to member states what standards products
must meet to enter the EU via any country border. Hence, manu-
facturers who wish to market in the EU would be wise to adhere
to the LVD and other applicable Directives.
The U.S. OSHA regulations are virtually the same in this respect.
These regs describe what employers must do to ensure a safe
workplace. The employer is barred under OSHA rules from allowing
employees to use specified products that do not meet OSHA require-
ments. Hence, manufacturers who wish to market in the U.S. to
businesses would be wise to adhere to OSHA requirements.
Now, it is somewhat true that electrical products for the U.S.
can either be NRTL approved for total U.S. distribution, or be
approved by every local city/county electrical safety authority.
BTW, this is an option that does not exist within the EU that I
know of. Now, which method do you think is easier and less costly?
Duh! I assure you it is the NRTL route, even if you desire to enter
only one local market.
There have been several opinions offered as to why any U.S. (or
other) safety regs exist. My personal opinion is that manufacturers
should apply the following concepts, in the order given:
- provide products that will not cause injury or property damage
- provide products that meet the standards
- provide products that exceed the standards if appropriate to
achieve the first item
- if the above are done, there is little else you can do to
minimize product liability litigation
[The above comments do not necessarily apply to extremely large
and expensive products sold in volumes of only 1, 10, or so. These
may best be handled by on-site installation approvals.]
George Alspaugh
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