Sorry Rich but I have to disagree as the CEA document I have shows State laws which specifically call out an NRTL being mandatory to distribute electronic equipment into those States...
From: emc-p...@ieee.org [mailto:emc-p...@ieee.org] On Behalf Of Richard Nute Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 7:53 PM To: EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG Cc: peterh...@aol.com Subject: RE: Mandatory NRTL certification The way the term "NRTL" has been used here is mostly wrong. I want to clarify what the term "NRTL" means. In the U.S.A., NRTL certification is NOT mandatory. Safety certification is NOT mandatory. The U.S.A. has two sets of drivers for safety certification of electrical products: 1) The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA); 2) The local electrical code. The U.S.A. OSHA law applies to employers. The electrical products used by employees in the workplace must be certified for safety by a NRTL. (Employers have alternatives to NRTL certified products, but that is not discussed here.) So, to comply with the OSHA law, employers purchase electrical products that are certified by a NRTL. The term "NRTL" does not apply to any other situation. As has been mentioned, certification by a "NRTL" is NOT a requirement for electrical equipment manufacturers; it is a requirement for employers and the workplace. In the U.S.A., the local electrical code is part of the local building code. In most code jurisdictions, the electrical code requires the parts used for electrical construction and installation be certified for safety. The "accepted" certifications are set by the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). No relationship exists between OSHA and local AHJs. These are independent entities. Therefore, NRTL certification does not guarantee acceptance by an AHJ. Having said that, some (but not all) AHJs defer to the NRTL scheme for approval of labs that can issue safety certifications that can be accepted. Most NRTLs are accepted by most AHJs. As has been mentioned here, some retailers and most medical facilities require electrical equipment be certified for safety. The labs that can satisfy this requirement are specified by the retailer or medical facility as a part of their purchase order. (Some retailers and some medical facilities actually test the equipment safety before accepting the equipment!) Most NRTLs are accepted by most retailers and most medical facilities. -----Original Message----- From: emc-p...@ieee.org [mailto:emc-p...@ieee.org] On Behalf Of Ron Wellman Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 8:49 PM To: peterh...@aol.com; EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG Subject: RE: Mandatory NRTL certification NRTL certification/listing is not mandatory for product Manufacturers. This is a Customer driven requirement so your Customers can comply with local OSHA requirements. If you don't want to list or certify your product that's really a Marketing call. Also, it is my experience that most large Companies require third party approvals as a condition of sale. Therefore, unless you want to be reactive to Customer sales I would make sure your Marketing people understand the risk of losing a sale if your product is not certified/listed by an NRTL. Best regards, Ron Wellman From: emc-p...@ieee.org [mailto:emc-p...@ieee.org] On Behalf Of peterh...@aol.com Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 5:41 PM To: EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG Subject: Mandatory NRTL certification Hello All, Today a colleague asked me a question as to why do we need NRTL certification such as UL or CSA on any product in the US. I thought this was a good and logical question and the way I answered it was that to the best of my knowledge, OSHA requires that any products that is used in work place to be safe and to have been certified by one of the NRTL labs. Would you say that is a correct answer? Thank you Peter - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. 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