Conformity Magazine - March 2008 - (Page 28)

The scope of Korea RoHS’s electronics aspect is narrower than that of the EU’s RoHS – the legislation does not cover all electrical and electronic equipment (EEE); instead it targets specific consumer products that would be expected to be purchased and disposed of in large quantities. The products include large household appliances, consumer electronics, and office electronics – specifically: televisions, refrigerators, household washers, air conditioners, PCs and peripherals, consumer audio equipment, mobile telephones, printers, copiers, and fax machines (including ink and toner cartridges used with the last three). The scope of the automobile provision covers passenger vehicles, including cars, vans, and trucks. The scope of Korea RoHS’s than that of the EU’s RoHS – all electrical and electronic equipment (EEE); instead it targets specific consumer to be purchased and disposed of in large quantities. electronics aspect is narrower the legislation does not cover products that would be expected A consequence of the centralized reporting structure is the standardized report format. This is a significant departure from the European equivalents, where individual EU Member States enact a patchwork of legislative standards on the orders of the EU Parliament. There are a large number of activities that require registration; examples include compliance reports on hazardous material standards, compliance with annual recycling quotas, and records reporting the processing of substances causing ecological change. The various reporting forms are published in the enforcement regulation. The legislation consists of the Act itself, along with two additional legal documents – titled Legal Regulation Ordinances for Recycling Electrical, Electronic Products and Automobiles, and Enforcement Regulation for the Act Concerning the Resource Recycling of Electrical/Electronic Products and Automobiles, or the Enforcement Ordinance and Enforcement Regulation respectively. All documents are issued exclusively in Korean, and the unofficial translations of the Ordinance and Regulation from third parties do not come cheaply. Although the legislation officially came into force on April 2, 2007, delays in implementing measures of the Act have pushed back the effective date for practical purposes. In fact, a revised version of the legislation was released in January 2008. As well, one major part of the legislation, a central registry titled the “Operational Management Information System” (OMIS), is, at the time of this writing, not yet operational. Registration Requirements One key component of the Korea RoHS legislation is the requirement for registration. This requirement spreads across the diverse sections of the Act. In some aspects, such as material reporting, suppliers are given the option to report compliance in the product documentation or online. But for the majority of the time, it is required that they use the Korean government registry, or “Operational Management Information System” (OMIS). 28 Conformity marCh 2008 Perhaps the most important point to note from the registration requirements is the existence of “Declaration of Compliance with Hazardous Materials Inclusion Standards.” This has the effect of forcing electronic (and automobile) producers or importers to self-declare their products to be compliant with material restrictions, and to store the declaration in a centralized registry. The signed declaration from the producer must be made for each individual product, stating that the product does in fact conform to the hazardous material restrictions. The declaration must either be made through the OMIS, or on the producer’s website in conjunction with notifying the administrator of the OMIS. Self-declaration of compliance with material restrictions is one entry in a long list of record-keeping, documentation, and registration requirements for both EEE and automobile importers or producers. A complete list is found in the enforcement ordinance. Restricted Substances Electronics producers who have been paying attention over the last five years will immediately recognize the hazardous substances and their concentration thresholds imposed by Korea RoHS: • Lead (1000 PPM) • Cadmium (100 PPM) • Mercury (1000 PPM) • Hexavalent chromium (1000 PPM)

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Conformity Magazine - March 2008

Conformity Magazine - March 2008 NewsBreaks Editor's Note Adelstein Renominated to the FCC Industry Canada Publishes FAQs On RF Fields FDA Gives Its Scientific Capabilities Poor Marks FDA Offers Guidance On its Product Review Process FDA Publishes Updates to List of Recognized Standards FDA Warns of Patient Risk From Electric Dental Handpieces Complying with the EMC Directive, Second Edition ESD Open Forum Emerging Issues in Standards - Korean "RoHS": Not Like RoHS at All The iNARTE Informer Challenges in Testing - Field-Induced Charged Device Model: What Really Happens Design Fundamentals - EMI Shielding Technologies for Consumer Electronics Equipment Focus On...Compliance Software Buyer's Guide Additional Standards Published for the EU's ATEX Directive Additional Standards for the EU's Medical Devices Directive Also Published China to Require Bar Codes to Enhance Product Safety CPSC Releases 2007 Self-Assessment CPSC Actions in News IEC Standards Update UL Standards Update Product Reviews Telcordia Standards Update From Our "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Department Looking Back: Items from Past Issues of Conformity Advertisers

Conformity Magazine - March 2008

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