Conformity Magazine - February 2009 - (Page 28)

Hydraulic testing of amalgam separators for dental industry: Manufacturers of amalgam separators are required to have their products tested in accordance with ISO 1143, Metals – Rotating Bar Bending Fatigue Testing by one of two laboratories in Europe in order to have them included on the list of approved separators as part of a voluntary amalgam recovery program. This program is administered jointly by the Metropolitan Council Environmental without the need for re-testing. UK-based assessor performs A2LA assessment: A2LA has accredited a U.S.-based calibration laboratory that performs field calibrations in the United Kingdom. It was necessary for A2LA to ensure that the field service technician operating in the UK was competent to perform the calibrations found on the laboratory’s scope of accreditation. It would have been very expensive to send a U.S.-based assessor to do the job, so A2LA contacted UKAS and asked to use one of their calibration assessors. A2LA provided the UKAS assessor with all of the A2LA policies, procedures and forms that were needed. A thorough assessment was performed at minimal cost to the laboratory. Several additional success stories, courtesy of International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ), are described below. Electrical products in New Zealand: Electrical products are required to satisfy EMC regulations before being placed on the New Zealand market. Regulators there will accept test reports from an IANZ-accredited laboratory, or from a laboratory accredited by any accreditation body recognized by IANZ (i.e., an ILAC Arrangement signatory). IANZ frequently receive enquiries from manufacturers of electrical products in economies such as the U.S., Taiwan, Germany and Hong Kong, asking where they should get their products tested in order to satisfy the New Zealand regulations. They are delighted when IANZ tell them that, since their products have already been tested by a laboratory accredited by A2LA or NVLAP in the U.S., a laboratory accredited by CNLA in Taiwan, or a laboratory accredited by a DAR affiliate in Germany, their products do not need to be retested in New Zealand. Their existing test reports are accepted by New Zealand regulators because of the ILAC (Mutual Recognition) Arrangement to which the American, Taiwanese and German accreditation bodies and IANZ are signatory. Fire extinguishers from Singapore into New Zealand: The New Zealand Insurance Council is responsible for approving fire extinguishers sold in New Zealand. The Insurance Council contacted IANZ over a shipment of fire extinguishers from Singapore. The extinguishers had already been tested by an accredited laboratory in Singapore. IANZ checked with the Singapore’s accreditation body, SINGLAS, that the laboratory was accredited for the specific tests. IANZ was then able to assure the Insurance Council that 28 Conformity february 2009 the extinguishers did not need to be retested in New Zealand because both the New Zealand and Singaporean accreditation bodies were signatories to the ILAC Arrangement. Indeed, the NZ Insurance Council regulations now document that test reports from laboratories accredited by IANZ MRA partners in the ILAC Arrangement are acceptable in New Zealand. Electrical products from Europe into New Zealand: A New Zealand manufacturer was importing components from Europe, undertaking further processing and then re-exporting the finished article. The components had reportedly been “EMC tested” in Western Europe. He asked IANZ whether the European test reports would be acceptable in New Zealand. Because the test reports lacked sufficient detail, IANZ checked with the accreditation body in the economy from where the test reports originated. They were advised that the particular laboratory was not accredited, and was not a notified body for EMC testing under the European regulations. The New Zealand manufacturer was advised that the test results were not acceptable, and that the product would need to be retested in an accredited laboratory. This information was passed back to the European supplier. Further, the European laboratory has reportedly upgraded its systems and has applied for accreditation to take advantage of the benefits afforded by the ILAC Arrangement. Crayons from Spain, Britain and Hong Kong arrive without incident in New Zealand: Importers who bring crayons to New Zealand must ensure the crayons have been tested for heavy metals before the NZ Ministry of Health will allow them to be placed on shop shelves. Fortunately, most of the crayons being imported to New Zealand are accompanied by test reports from laboratories that are accredited by signatories of the ILAC Arrangement. IANZ endorses test reports from laboratories accredited by IANZ’s MRA partners. The Ministry of Health wants to protect the health of children, and has confidence in test reports issued by laboratories that have been accredited by overseas accreditation authorities participating in MRAs (like the ILAC Arrangement) with IANZ. Electrical meters to Finland: A New Zealand company exporting electrical meters to Finland was pleasantly surprised to discover that their products would automatically be accepted in the voluntary sector because of the ILAC Arrangement. The test report for the electrical meters was issued by a laboratory accredited by IANZ, and the Finnish accreditation authority (FINAS) accepted the New Zealand laboratory’s test report, since both FINAS and IANZ are signatories to the ILAC Arrangement. This saved considerable time and money for the New Zealand exporter who, without the existence of the ILAC Arrangement, would have had to retest their product in Finland at considerable expense. Baby bottle nipples arrive from Britain: Ensuring their children’s safety is a concern for all parents, and this extends

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Conformity Magazine - February 2009

Conformity Magazine - February 2009 Contents Editor's Note FCC Clarifies Closed Captioning Requirements for DTV Receivers Commission Cracks Down (For the Fifth Time!) On Junk Fax Marketer FDA Requests Comments on Global Harmonization Documents Australia Now Requires Solar Panel Testing and Certification EU Drafting New Directive on Toy Safety EU Commission Revises Standards List for EMC, R&TTE Directives Additional Standards Published For the EU's Medical Devices Directive EU Commission Publishes Additional Standards for Directives on Active Implantable, In Vitro Medical Devices EMC For the Functional Safety of Automobiles ESD Open Forum The ILAC Arrangement: Facilitating Trade Efficient Methodology for the EMI Analysis of Optical Transceivers Including PCBs and/or Flex Circuits The EuP Directive - Implementation, Design Requirements and Issues Chambers, Shielding, and Accessories Buyer's Guide CPSIA Lead Requirements Apply to Existing Inventory, Says CPSC CPSC Clarifies Certifcation Requirements Other CPSC Actions in the News IEC Standards Update Product Reviews UL standards Update Telcordia Standards Update From Our "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Department Looking Back: Items from Past Issues of Conformity Advertisers

Conformity Magazine - February 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.