Everything You Need to Know about the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) for LEDs [Australia-New Zealand]

by Aslam

LED DRIVERS - ANZ SAFETY APPROVALS

Australia/New Zealand has very strict electrical safety regulations especially for importing LED drivers. Flouting the regulations can lead to hefty penalties, blacklisting, product recalls and even imprisonment to all perpetrators who fail to abide by the safety regulations.

To ensure that all LED drivers are safety compliant, a Compliance Mark/Symbol is placed on the product. The Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) (also shown in figure below) indicates that the product adheres to all safety regulations and can now be sold legally.

This blog gives a brief outline on the steps needed to secure the RCM mark.

RCM Symbol as indicated on the Products

WHAT IS REGULATORY COMPLIANCE MARK (RCM)?

The Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) is a symbol/mark which is placed on products that have successfully complied with all the mandatory technical standards put forth by the Australian bodies responsible for electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility regulations.

Use of the RCM is detailed in the AS/NZS 4417 series of standards and the Equipment Safety Rules. Suppliers are advised to familiarize themselves with all relevant Acts, regulations and standards.

Why bother with the RCM? To put it simply, Liability.

WHAT IS THE RCM COMPLIANCE PROCESS?

To get the RCM mark, all the importer needs to do is just apply online on the ERAC website, provided they have completed the following steps.

STEP 1: Make sure you have Australian/New Zealand Business Number or use Australian Local Agent.

STEP 2*: Comply with the technical standards by:

  • Preparing technical product description.
  • Obtain testing certification of product compliance from an accredited testing facility.

STEP 3: Complete Declaration of Conformity for each product.

STEP 4: Register on ERAC (Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council) website to get Responsible Supplier (RS) Number.

STEP 5: Adhere to the RCM labelling regime including affixing the RCM logo on the product as required.

STEP 6: Establish & maintain compliance records.

*Third-party certifiers recognized under the Recognized External Approvers Scheme (REAS) have the capability of providing Certificates of Conformity/Approval for Declared/Level 3 and Certificates of Suitability for Non Declared/Level 1 & 2 products.

WHO ARE THESE APPROVED THIRD PARTY CERTIFIERS?

The External Electrical Product Safety Certification scheme is recognised by the Australian government and oversee the issuing the mandatory Certificates of Conformity/Approval for Declared/Level 3 and the Certificate of Suitability for Non-Declared/Levels 1 & 2 products.

The following companies can be approached to get the job done:

Recognized External Certification Schemes (RECS)

The scheme meets the requirements for both REAS (NSW OFT) and EESS (ESO Qld). Both Global-Mark & SAA certificates authorize the use of RCM mark on these products.

After the Certificate of Conformity/Approval is issued, Global-Mark/SAA will then upload the details of the certification to the ERAC website, allowing the concerned Australian supplier to complete registration of the products.

HOW CAN SUPREME HELP?

SCI provides LED Drivers who possess the Certificate of Conformity to Australian standards. Most of the LED Drivers carried by SCI would either have the Global Mark or SAA Certification.

So, you can directly jump to Step 4 and register the product on ERAC website and apply for RCM.

LED DRIVER BRANDS WHICH SUPPORT RCM

Both Global-Mark & SAA certificates authorize the use of RCM marking on products.

These third-party certifiers are recognized under the Recognized External Approvers Scheme (REAS). However, these products must additionally be marked with a specific certificate approval number which is issued by the authorities.

You may notice certificate approval numbers to be in either of these formats: N11, N10422, NSW1234, A/10234/EA, SAI SMK EA 10578, SAA10156EA, SGSEA10345, AGA 11024EA, QAS:TE1234 or SAI:TE1234.

If you still have further clarifications, do not hesitate at all and reach out to us at hello@supremecomponents.com and we'll tirelessly breakdown and elucidate the process for you!