Blog
Russia and Customs Union Postpone New Low Voltage Safety Regulations
This Compliance Today blog post is supplied by MET Labs Russian partner Elmas Group. The new Russian Technical Regulation (TR) “On the Safety of Low Voltage Equipment” which was to come into force on January 1, 2012, was postponed again. Originally, this TR was scheduled to become effective from December 30, 2010 and was postponed until... Read More
EPA Announces Final Criteria for ENERGY STAR Most Efficient
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the final 2012 recognition criteria for its ENERGY STAR “Most Efficient” designation, which recognizes products with exceptional efficiency performance. In the second year of this pilot effort, eight product categories will be eligible for recognition: Air-source heat pumps Boilers Central air conditioners Clothes washers Furnaces Geothermal heat... Read More
Product Safety Compliance Engineers Use These Resources
Over the years, we at MET Labs have compiled dozens of web links for keeping current with product safety regulations and industry happenings. Following are some of the most valuable. Stay tuned – Up soon is a corresponding post on EMC compliance resources. Standards & Schemes CB Scheme The international certification program managed by the IECEE,... Read More
U.S. Electrical Product Safety Governed by OSHA and Local Code
Staying compliant with electrical product safety in the United States can be a challenge. Here is a basic primer for contractors and facility owners. Electrical product safety is specified at the federal level and the local level: Federal law governs electrical equipment utilized in the workplace Local building code officials enforce local standards ordinances and... Read More
EU Association Accuses UL of Abusing Its Position in the U.S. Product Safety Certification Market
In October, a European industry association published a strong-worded position paper that details how EU manufacturers suffer from the “malfunctioning of the U.S. certification market,” due to Underwriters Laboratories’ “abuse of its dominant position.” The paper’s author, Orgalime, is the European Engineering Industries Association that represents some 130,000 companies in the mechanical, electrical, electronic, metalworking &... Read More
Laser and Photonics Products Have Unique Safety Requirements
When it comes to development of products with an integrated laser or photonic technology (including fiber optics), it pays to be aware of product safety regulatory and compliance requirements from an early stage. Lasers and other photonics technologies create unique risks due to their highly concentrated light. Therefore, regulations exist at various levels: Local (U.S.)... Read More
Energy Efficiency Testing for Products Becoming More Widespread
The fastest growing sector of the electrical and electronic product test business is energy efficiency testing. This is no surprise, what with the ongoing depletion of known supplies of fossil fuels and its associated geo-political and cost implications, combined with the pollution and attendant climate change associated with energy consumption. Here is an overview of... Read More
RTCA/DO-160G is Latest Version for Testing of Airborne Equipment, But Not the Only Choice
Guidance to help you identify and select the applicable version of the DO-160 standard and other regulations for your aerospace product. We often get the question: What version of RTCA/DO-160 should I use? As per usual, it depends. RTCA/DO-160G, Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment, is the latest version; it is dated December... Read More
Testing Prepares Vehicle Awareness Devices for DOT Qualification in Spring
This week, MET Labs, Federal Signal Technologies, Concurrent Technology Corporation, and OmniAir Consortium, Inc. are performing a 4th round of regression testing on Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) Vehicle Awareness Devices. The testing is being performed at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. The Vehicle Awareness Device specification produced by the U.S. DOT has undergone... Read More
TCB Workshop Includes R&TTE Directive Overview
Last week, MET Labs attended the FCC Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB) Council TCB Workshop in Baltimore. Here was the agenda. One of the workshop’s more interesting presentations was on the R&TTE Directive. Following is a summary of the key points. The Radio and Telecommunication Terminal Equipment Directive applies in Europe and the European Economic Area.... Read More
