Discussion of “NEMA and IEC Standards: A Practical Approach”

Abstract

Summary form only given, as follows. The above-named work [ibid., vol. 50, no. 5, pp. 3079-3085, Sep./Oct. 2014] contains a significant error. In Section II-D, the authors state, in reference to OSHA Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs): "Three of the most widely known NRTLs are listed below, along with the region in which they are based: UL, USA; CSA, Canada; Conformite Europeene or European Conformity (CE), Europe." CSA and UL are indeed among the 15 OSHA NRTLs; however, CE is not an NRTL. In fact, CE is not even a conformity assessment body at all. CE is a marking placed on virtually all products placed on the market in the European Union, by law. CE marking does not even indicate that a given product has been evaluated by an independent third party. EU Directives mandate conformity to Essential Safety and Health Requirements, and conformity to a European Harmonized Standard (CEN or CENELEC) is not the only way that a supplier can demonstrate conformance to the Essential Safety and Health Requirements. The passage quoted above could lead specifiers of electric equipment to believe that a CE marking indicates certification by an OSHA NRTL, when in fact it does not indicate certification of any kind.