RCM= Safety + EMC + Importer Declaration
1. Safety (Product Safety Certification)
Product safety certification includes two parts: electrical products are divided into regulated electrical products (Prescribed Product) and non-regulated products (Non-prescribed product).
1) Regulated electrical products are divided according to AS/NZS4417.2, including electric heating equipment, refrigeration equipment, electric tools, parts, etc. Three of the issuing authorities, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, are the most active in the certification process. Regulated electrical appliances must obtain a Certificate of Approval issued by the monitoring department and must be marked with a certificate number. The first letter of the certificate number indicates which state or region issued the certificate. For example:
(1) Q04051 (Queensland) --- Q Number
(2) W2015 (Western Australia) --- W Number
(3) V03101 (Victoria) --- ESV Certificate V Number
(4) NSW18099 (New South Wales) --- DOFT Certificate NSW Number
2) Non-regulated electrical appliances can be sold directly without certification, but the manufacturer must ensure that the electrical safety of the product complies with the Australian standard AS/NZS3820:1998 (Essential Safety Requirements for Low Voltage Electrical Equipment); the monitoring department will issue a Certificate of Suitability for products that meet the standard requirements. Electrical products that have obtained a Certificate of Suitability can be marked with the certificate number, and the last letter of the certificate shows which state or region the certificate was issued by, such as:
(1) CS/431/Q (Queensland)
(2) CS/108/NSW (New South Wales)
2. EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility)
Australia's electromagnetic compatibility compliance program is based on the Radio Communications Act 1992, covering a wide range of products, including motor-driven and heat-generating electrical products, power tools and similar products, electric lamps and similar equipment, television receivers and audio equipment, information technology products, industrial science and medical equipment, ignition engines and arc welding equipment, etc. The program divides products into three categories according to the degree of danger of electromagnetic interference generated by the product. The second and third category products must be marked with the C-Tick mark. However, no matter which category the product belongs to, it must comply with the relevant EMC standards.
Category I products: products that have only a slight impact on devices using the wireless spectrum, such as manual switches, simple relays, brushless squirrel cage induction motors, AC power supplies/power transformers, resistors, etc. This type of product can voluntarily apply to use the C-Tick mark when it is produced and sold.
Category II products: products that have a greater impact on devices using the radio spectrum, such as microprocessors or clocked digital devices, rectifiers or slip-ring motors, arc welding equipment, switching power supplies, photometers and motor speed controllers, telecommunications terminal equipment in the category of information technology (CISPR 22) (changed from Category III to Category II since November 7, 2003).
Category III products: products that have a serious impact on devices using the radio spectrum, such as industrial, scientific and medical instruments and equipment Group 2 (CISPR11).
