IECEE CB testing- one test for all countries

The UK National Committee of the IECEE is organising a workshop for UK industry entitled "The IECEE CB Scheme as an Export Tool'. The half-day workshop will include presentations on national market access programmes including those for China, South America, North America and Europe.

With a workshop theme of "Compliance for Export', there will be a host of international speakers (including China, Mexico, the USA and the UK) making presentations on the requirements of National Certification Bodies (NCBs) in individual countries from both Certification Body and industry perspectives.

Simon Barrowcliff, Director of Safety at TRaC, says: "This is a rare opportunity for UK industry to receive information from national and regional experts about the product safety regulations operating in those target export markets countries."

TRaC is leading the workshop on behalf of UK NCBs to raise awareness of the benefits of CB certification when exporting UK manufactured products into markets which they have not sold into before. UK NCBs will be cooperating for the first time to encourage manufacturers to adopt the CB scheme.

The IECEE is the IEC System for Conformity testing and Certification of Electrotechnical Equipment and Components. It is a system for mutual recognition of certificates of conformity and also a tool to access the worldwide markets directly, when national authorities and regulators, retailers, buyers and vendors accept the CB test certificate and associated test report.

Simon Barrowcliff says: "On the two days after the workshop, TRaC will join the other UK National Certification Bodies forming the UK National Committee of the IECEE in welcoming 130 delegates from around the world for the main event in IECEE's calendar.

"Whilst fully compatible with mandatory CE marking for Europe, the CB scheme is entirely voluntary and certifies that an independent third party has tested the product to confirm that it is fully compliant for electrical safety and/or EMC. The added benefit of the third party aspect of the CB scheme is that test results from that third party are recognised by all CB scheme members around the world where self-certified reports under CE marking are often insufficient to meet local market needs.

IEC standards

"The CB test laboratories will test for things like protection from electric shock and prevention of fire and mechanical hazard, among others. The tests are outlined in published IEC standards that specify what manufacturers and CB testers need to do. The scheme has been going for more than 30 years and is widely respected. What it means is that a manufacturer can have a product tested in the UK by an NCB, which issues a universally acceptable report and certificate on completion of successful testing.

"The manufacturer can then take that certificate and have the product certified anywhere else in the world without having to have it tested again in different countries. In the past, a manufacturer would have had to submit products and drawings to testing bodies in every country they wanted to sell the product into."

Barrowcliff concludes: "TRaC is working together with the other UK NCBs to promote the CB scheme as an export tool for UK industry. It is in all of our interests for the CB scheme to expand in support of global exports for UK manufacturers."

The IECEE CB Scheme is the international system for mutual acceptance of test reports and certificates dealing with the safety of electrical and electronic components, equipment and products. To find out more about testing, regulation and compliance, visit the TRaC website at www.tracglobal.com.