The Australian and New Zealand Electrical Regulatory Council (ERAC) launched the Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS) Upgrade Platform on October 14, 2024.This measure marks an important step forward for both countries in simplifying certification and registration processes, enabling electrical equipment manufacturers and importers to comply with regulations more efficiently.The upcoming update not only includes modern systems, but also new mandatory information requirements aimed at improving transparency and safety of electrical products in the market.
Main changes in device registration requirements
The most notable feature of this platform upgrade is the addition of specific information fields required for device registration.
Including the following basic data points:
1. Complete manufacturer information registrants must now provide complete manufacturer details, such as contact information and manufacturer website.This new content aims to enhance transparency and accountability by allowing regulatory agencies and consumers to directly access key manufacturer details.
2. Detailed input specifications, input voltage, input frequency, input current, input power
3. By requesting these detailed technical data, ERAC aims to standardize the quality and accuracy of the information provided during the registration process, making it easier for relevant departments to verify compliance and ensure that the product meets safety and performance standards.
4.Before updating the security level classification, electrical equipment was divided into three risk levels – Level 1 (low risk), Level 2 (medium risk), and Level 3 (high risk).The new system has added a category called ‘out of scope’, which is applicable to projects that do not meet traditional risk levels.This new classification method allows for more flexible categorization of products, providing a clearer framework for projects that are not strictly classified into established levels but still require regulation.
5. Strengthen testing report requirements. Currently, registrants must include the following information when submitting testing reports: laboratory name: identify the laboratory responsible for testing.Certification type: The specific certification type held by the laboratory.Certification number: a unique identifier related to laboratory certification.Approval issuance date: Certification issuance date.
6. These additional data help ERAC verify the credibility of the testing laboratory, ensuring that they comply with strict quality and safety standards.It also helps to maintain the integrity of test results, ensuring that only certified institutions can issue reports, thereby strengthening trust in product compliance.
The advantages of the new EESS platform
The platform upgrade reflects ERAC’s commitment to strengthening the electrical equipment safety ecosystem.
By introducing these changes, ERAC’s goal is to:
Simplified Compliance: The new system provides a more intuitive and centralized platform for product registration, which will benefit manufacturers, importers, and regulatory agencies together.
Improving market transparency: New information requirements mean that each product will have more detailed information, enabling regulatory agencies, businesses, and consumers to make informed choices.
Improving safety standards: By ensuring that test reports come from accredited laboratories and contain more detailed manufacturer information, ERAC has strengthened its supervision of electrical equipment safety, potentially reducing risks associated with non compliant products.
Adapting to diverse product types: The newly added “out of scope” category helps better classify products that do not meet traditional risk levels, enabling ERAC to effectively manage safety requirements for more electrical equipment.
Preparing for Transition
With the official launch of the platform on October 14, 2024, manufacturers and importers are encouraged to review the new information requirements to ensure they can provide the necessary detailed information for product registration.In addition, the company should verify whether the testing laboratories it collaborates with comply with the new standards, especially with detailed information regarding certification.
Post time: Nov-29-2024
