Conformity Magazine - March 2008 - (Page 56)

NewsBreaks continued from page 11 procedures. This is because the electric motor in a worn or clogged handpiece sends increased power to the handpiece head to maintain performance, generating heat at the handpiece head, and posing a risk of burns to patients. Since the increased heat is felt by neither the patient (due to anesthesia) nor the operator (due to insulation in the handpiece), burns are not apparent until after the tissue damage has been done. The FDA advises dental health professionals to be vigilant in maintaining such devices according to manufacturers’ instructions, and to ensure that worn or poorly-maintained devices are not used on patients. Our readers can view the text of the FDA’s press release at www.conformity.com/1515. of additional standards that can be used to demonstrate conformity with the essential requirements of Directive 93/42/EEC concerning medical devices. The list of CENELEC standards was also published in December in the Official Journal, and can be viewed at www.conformity.com/1517. The agency’s self-review, entitled 2007 Performance and Accountability Report, provides details on the CPSC’s activities during what proved to be a busy year, including its efforts to deal with the importation of unsafe children’s toys and jewelry from China, and the increased concern about the ingestion of small magnets in toys. Our readers can view the complete text of the FDA’s 2007 Performance and Accountability Report at www.conformity.com/1519. China to Require Bar Codes to Enhance Product Safety The web site of the Chinese newspaper, People’s Daily, reports that Chinese manufacturers are now required to add bar codes on packaging for 69 separate categories of products. According to the People’s Daily article, the product categories falling under the new packaging requirements range from “electronics, electrical wires and agricultural production materials to food and cosmetics.” The bar coding requirements reportedly went into effect on December 3, 2007. The new bar coding requirements were introduced by China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. It is expected that bar coded products will allow consumers to check product data by phone or the Internet in cases of suspected product defects. Our readers can view the text of the People’s Daily article at www.conformity.com/1518. CPSC Actions in the News In conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the following manufacturers have issued voluntary recalls for certain consumer electrical and electronic products. Here are the details: Cordless Drills: DeWalt Industrial Tool Company of Towson, MD has recalled about 346,000 DeWalt-brand cordless drills manufactured in Mexico. The company says that the trigger switch of the drill can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers. DeWalt has received 11 reports of trigger switches overheating, but no reports of injuries or property damage. The recalled cordless drills were sold through wholesales distributors and retailers from about June 2006 through December 2007 for between $180 and $280. Microwave Combo Wall Ovens: GE Consumer and Industrial of Louisville, KY is recalling about 92,000 of its builtin combination wall and microwave ovens. GE says that the door switch in the microwave oven can overheat and ignite plastic components in the control area, posing a fire hazard to consumers. The company is aware of 35 incidents of minor property damage and one incident in which a fire damaged adjacent kitchen cabinets, but has not received any reports of injuries. The combo wall ovens were sold under the GE, GE Profile and Kenmore brand names in Additional Standards Published for the EU’s ATEX Directive The Commission of the European Union (EU) has published a list of additional standards that can be used to demonstrate conformity with the essential requirements of its directive concerning equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres (also known as the ATEX Directive, 94/9/EC). The list of additional standards for the directive was published in December in the Official Journal of the European Union, and can be viewed at www.conformity.com/1516. Additional Standards for the EU’s Medical Devices Directive Also Published The Commission of the European Union (EU) has also published a list 5 Conformity marCh 2008 CPSC Releases 2007 Self-Assessment The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has released a report summarizing the key work of the agency in 2007. http://www.conformity.com/1517 http://www.conformity.com/1519 http://www.conformity.com/1515 http://www.conformity.com/1518 http://www.conformity.com/1516

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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