RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/IT/SPEC/Q1/6
22April 1998
ORGANIZATION(98-1630)
Original: English Committee ofParticipants ontheExpansion ofTrade
inInformation Technology Products
REPLIES TOTHE SURVEY
Communication from Australia
Thefollowing communication, dated 15April 1998, hasbeenreceived from thePermanent
Mission ofAustralia.
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1. Does your government have mandatory technical regulations toensure thesafety of
Information Technology equipment? Ifso,please identify? Arethese requirements harmonized
withIEC950? Ifnot,please explain thecurrent practice?
Electrical safety forInformation Technology equipment isregulated byState authorities.
2. Does yourgovernment havemandatory technical regulations relating toelectromagnetic
interference forInformation Technology equipment? Ifso,please identify. Aretheserequirements
harmonized withCISPR 22?Ifnotplease explain current practice.
TheAustralian Communications Authority (ACA) administers amandatory standards regime
tolimitelectromagnetic interference from electrical andelectronic products, including Information
Technologyequipment.InformationTechnologyequipmentmustmeetAustralianStandard3548,which
isharmonized withCISPR 22andEN55022.
3. What conformity assessment procedures, either inrespect oftheproduct orthe
manufacturing process, doesyour government require forapproval ofinformation technology
products (including electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC), electrical safety, telecommunications
andradio terminal equipment, andother areas?
Maysuppliers perform these procedures (e.g.testing, declaration ofconformity), ormust
third parties perform these procedures?
What international guidelines orstandards, ifany,arethose procedures based on?
EMC compliance regime
TheEMC mandatory standards regime requires Australian suppliers tosatisfy fourbasic
requirements. They must:
- Establish sound technical grounds forproduct compliance;
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- Make andholdaDeclaration ofConformity;
- Prepare andkeepaCompliance Folder; and
- Label thecompliant product withtheC-tick mark.
Suppliers must signtheDeclaration ofConformity onceassured thattheproduct meets the
relevant mandatory standard, maintain theCompliance Folder, andlabelthecompliant product prior
toplacing itonthemarket.
Suppliers canestablish sound technical grounds fortheirproduct 'scompliance through two
mechanisms: product testing andthetechnical construction file(TCF). Product testing maybecarried
outbythesupplier, orbyathirdparty forEMC standards compliance. Atestreport fromaNational
Association ofTesting Authorities (NATA) accredited testhouse constitutes ahighconfidence/low
riskapproach totesting. TheTCFcanbeusedincircumstances where itisnotfeasible tohavethe
product tested. InaTCF, products must beassessed byacompetent body, which isappointed by
theACA.
TheDeclaration ofConformity isbased oninternationally recognised compliance mechanisms.
Radiocommunications compliance regime
Radiocommunicationsequipmenthassimilarcompliancearrangements.Theradiocommunications
compliance regime hasthreelevels ofcompliance, based ontheriskofinterference thatmaybeexpected
from theproduct.
- Lowriskproducts needonlyhaveaDeclaration ofConformity signed, andtheproducts
labelled prior tobeing placed ontheAustralian market.
- Medium Riskproducts mustinaddition totheabove, haveatechnical testreport from
aNATA accredited, orNATA MRA partner accredited, testhouse andacompliance
certificate from thetesthouse.
- High Level Riskproducts mustinaddition totheabove, haveaQuality Management
System certificate toshow thatthemanufacturer oftheproduct isquality certified to
atleastISO9003, ortheAustralian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS ISO9003.
SimilarlytotheEMCcompliancearrangements,thesuppliermustmakeandholdtheDeclaration
ofConformity. However, testreports must befrom aNATA, orNATA MRA partner, accredited
testhouse.
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