Cross Border Surveillance Actions for the Low Voltage Directive

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Cross Border Surveillance Actions for the Low
Voltage Directive

• Luminaires 2006
• Multiple Outlet Extension Cords 2007

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• 2006 Joint Action Luminaires
• First large scale joint market surveillance
  project for the LVD
• Organized by LVD ADCO
• Project management the Netherlands
• Participants 15

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• Project design considerations
• Tests should be easy to perform and cheap
• Tests should concern safety relevant requirements
• All participants responsible for their own tests
• According to phased time frame
• Sampling at EU importers and manufacturers
• Time frame until 31 December 2006
• Reporting before 1 March 2007

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• Project organization
• Original proposal the Netherlands
• Task Force
• Further specification and design
• Final selection of standard requirements and
  tests
• Specification of information exchange
• Sampling criteria
• Classification of shortcomings
• Etc.
• Finalization of project description
• Compilation of guide for inspectors, labs and
  participants
• Design of excel sheets for information exchange
• Reporting

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• Preliminary Results
• 14 of 15 participants submitted results one
  participant did not one member state who was not
  a participant did
• A total of 225 luminaires was investigated
• 160 products were not in compliance
• Further analysis (classification of deficiencies,
  source of products, etc) is pending

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• Preliminary lessons and observations
• Working methods of authorities differ
  considerably this makes it hard to
• Establish random sampling
• Sample and inspect at EU-importers and
  manufacturers
• Establish definite time frames for sampling,
  inspecting and testing
• Information exchange systems to facilitate joint
  MS leave to be desired
• In practice hardly any use was made of the
  possibility to check which samples were taken by
  other authorities

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• Preliminary lessons and observations
• Variations in weighing the seriousness of
  specific shortcomings
• Lack of dedicated human resources for
  development, management and reporting is a
  problem
• Evaluation questionnaire for participants

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• 2007 Joint action Multiple Outlet Cord Extension
  sets
• 21 participants
• Supported by DG-Sanco
• Original project proposal Austria
• Applicant Authority The Netherlands
• Support from and coordination with E.MAR.S

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• Why?
• Inexpensive products, that are frequently not in
  compliance
• Possibly fire hazard
• Risk of electric shock

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• Complicated
• Appliance as a whole under LVD plugs and
  sockets under national regulations
• Different socket systems -gt different (national)
  standards
• More complicated and expensive tests
• Subcontracting of tests to NoBos
• Project application

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• Project application Grant Agreement
• 15 participants in application
• Difficult to find formal applicant
• Difficult to obtain all data required
• Final document 121 pages
• Total amount 356831,97

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• Task Force
• Expertise to cover all systems
• Further specification and design
• Final selection of standard requirements and
  tests for all systems!!!!
• Specification of information exchange
• Sampling criteria
• Etc.
• Finalization of project description
• Available in French, German and English
• Design of excel sheets for information exchange
• Reporting

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• Project description
• Market orientation
• Identification of EU importers and manufacturers
• Understanding the market
• Sampling and compliance with administrative
  requirements
• Quasi random sampling
• Technical investigations
• Which requirements
• Classification of shortcomings (GPSD, Nordic
  system)
• Reporting information exchange

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• Technical investigations
• Shape and markings
• Properties of the materials used
• Fire resistance, resistance to aging, etc
• Construction requirements
• Protection against shock, cord anchorage, etc
• Operating performance
• Temperature rise, withdrawal forces, etc
• Connection cord
• Cross section of wires, construction, etc
• GPSD aspects

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• Good Practices in Cross border MS
• Sampling and inspection at EU importers and
  manufacturers?
• Time framing?
• Use of Common Labs for all tests?
• Round robin testing?
• Uniformity in measures taken?
• Uniform reporting?

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• Thesis
• When developed, cross border market surveillance
  allows more and better surveillance for the same
  buck
• Cross Border surveillance should concentrate on
  first EU importers and manufacturers to be
  efficient (everyone cleans his own house)
• A professional body is needed to organize and
  manage cross border projects

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• Outlook 2008
• New cross border market surveillance projects for
  in preparation
• Christmas lighting chains
• residual current devices