Recent Recalls of Products in Europe and North America
Recent Recalls of Products in Europe and North America,
Europe and North America,
▍What is cTUVus & ETL CERTIFICATION?
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), affiliated to US DOL (Department of Labor), demands that all products to be used in workplace must be tested and certificated by NRTL before being sold in market. Applicable testing standards include American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards; American Society for Testing Material (ASTM) standards, Underwriter Laboratory (UL) standards, and factory mutual-recognition organization standards.
▍OSHA, NRTL, cTUVus, ETL and UL terms definition and relationship
OSHA: Abbreviation of Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is an affiliation of US DOL (Department of Labor).
NRTL： Abbreviation of Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory. It is in charge of lab accreditation. Up to now, there are 18 third-party testing institutions approved by NRTL, including TUV, ITS, MET and so forth.
cTUVus： Certification mark of TUVRh in North America.
ETL： Abbreviation of American Electrical Testing Laboratory. It was established in 1896 by Albert Einstein, the American inventor.
UL： Abbreviation of Underwriter Laboratories Inc.
▍Difference between cTUVus, ETL & UL
| Item | UL | cTUVus | ETL |
| Applied standard |
Same |
||
| Institution qualified for certificate receipt |
NRTL (Nationally approved laboratory) |
||
| Applied market |
North America (US and Canada) |
||
| Testing and certification institution | Underwriter Laboratory (China) Inc performs testing and issue project conclusion letter | MCM performs testing and TUV issues certificate | MCM performs testing and TUV issues certificate |
| Lead time | 5-12W | 2-3W | 2-3W |
| Application cost | Highest in peer | About 50~60% of UL cost | About 60~70% of UL cost |
| Advantage | An American local institution with good recognition in US and Canada | An International institution owns authority and offers reasonable price, also be recognized by North America | An American institution with good recognition in North America |
| Disadvantage |
|
Less brand recognition than that of UL | Less recognition than that of UL in certification of product component |
▍Why MCM?
● Soft Support from qualification and technology: As the witness testing lab of TUVRH and ITS in North American Certification, MCM is able to perform all types of testing and provide better service by exchanging technology face to face.
● Hard support from technology: MCM is equipped with all testing equipment for batteries of big-sized, small-sized and precision projects (i.e. electric mobile car, storage energy, and electronic digital products), able to provide overall battery testing and certification services in North America, covering standards UL2580, UL1973, UL2271, UL1642, UL2054 and so forth.
In addition to frequently recalled products such as hoverboards, electric scooters, and power banks, this recall also includes the following categories of products:
Household appliances, such as vacuum cleaners, loudspeakers, steam irons, hair dryers, etc. These products have been recalled due to defects in power cords, plugs, or circuit boards leading to fire hazards.
Plugs. These products have issues related to plug or grounding design, posing electric shock hazards.
Button cells. The recall frequency for these products has been increasing in recent months and requires special attention. The recalls are due to packaging design flaws that could lead to children swallowing the cells. In response, the US has enacted the Reese’s Law, which requires button cell packaging and casing designs to meet UL 4200A requirements.
Entering the European and American markets requires compliance with corresponding standards and regulations. If you want to learn more about the regulatory requirements for product design, feel free to contact MCM. We will provide you with comprehensive consulting services.
