COMPLIANCE
NEW LABELLING REQUIREMENTS © duncanandison/Dollar Photo Club
Chris Zombolas*
On 1 March 2013, the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) commenced the transition to replace the C-tick and A-tick marks. The transition period ended on 29 February 2016. The new Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS) replaces the current state- and territory-based electrical safety approval systems and requires the use of the RCM for all in-scope equipment.
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he RCM system requires Australian-based manufacturers, importers or suppliers to register prescribed products on the EESS national database. The RCM is a single compliance mark and can only be used by Australian/New Zealand suppliers after establishing compliance with all applicable regulations including EMC, Telecoms, Radiocoms, Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) and electrical safety. While the transition period has already ended, existing stock having the C-tick or A-tick labels may be sold until the stock is exhausted. This article will explain the new Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and EESS regimes including the testing, certification and administrative requirements. Those using the RCM for ACMA compliance must first register as the ACMA Responsible Supplier on the EESS website. Next, they must identify the ACMA applicable standards and obtain the appropriate test reports. Products that do not have wireless or telecoms function are relatively straightforward and only require an EMC Test report to an EMC standard listed on the ACMA list of applicable standards. Products that include a wireless transmitter such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, portable radios etc must also comply with the relevant
WWW.ELECTRONICSONLINE.NET.AU
ACMA Radiocommunications (Radcom) standard and the ACMA Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) standard. The former C-tick label applied to the latter types of product. If a product also includes connection to the mobile phone network or the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), it must comply with the relevant standards prescribed in the Telecommunications Labelling Notice (TLN) 2014. If it includes a Mobil Phone Network interface, determining the applicable ACMA requirements is often fraught with risk. It may be prudent to consult with an ACMA accredited Certification Body. The former A-tick label used to apply to equipment within the scope of the TLN. There are some exemptions from the ACMA RCM labelling requirements and these are listed in the ACMA EMC Labelling Notice. RCM Labelling of some battery-powered equipment is voluntary; however, care should be taken when interpreting the ‘Battery Powered’ definition. The battery must be internal to the product and it must not be possible to operate when it is being charged by an external supply. Devices that use an automobile 12 V supply are not exempt. Nor are devices that have a wireless transmitter such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
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