G/TBT/N/CHE/232  
 
6 August 2018  
(18-4968) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member: SWITZERLAND   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible: Federal Office of Public Health  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO  
Holzikofenweg 36, 3003 Berne  
tbt@seco.admin.ch , www.seco.admin.ch   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Laser 
pointer products  
5. Title, number of pag es and language(s) of the notified document: Draft Ordinance 
to the Federal Act on Protection Against Hazards Arising from Non -Ionising Radiation and 
Sound (O -NIRSA) (23 page(s), available in German, French, and Italian)  
6. Description of content: An increasing number of laser pointers has been placed on the 
market that pose a danger to human health and to pilots or locomotive drivers. In order to 
avoid both dangerous glare and direct eye damage in the future, only class 1 lasers 
pointers will be allow ed to be placed on the market.  
The notified draft ordinance prohibits therefore the import, transit, supply and possession 
of the following laser pointers:  
 a. Class 1M, 2, 2M, 3R, 3B and 4 laser pointers in accordance with SN EN 60825 -
1:20147, "Safety of laser products - Part 1: Equipment classification and 
requirements";  
 b. laser pointers which are not, or not correctly, labelled with a laser class;  
 c. any accessories which focus the laser radiation emitted by laser pointers.  
7. Objective and rationale , including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable: The aim is to avoid eye injuries and dangerous glare due to laser pointers.  
8. Relevant documents:   
Draft Ordinance to the Federal Act on Protection Against Hazards Arising from Non -Ionising 
Radiation and Sound (O -NIRSA); available in German, French, Italian  
 German: https://www.bag.admin.ch/dam/bag/de/dokumente/str/nis/NISSGV/v -
nissg.pdf.download.pdf/V -NISSG_DE.pdf   G/TBT/N/CHE/232  
 
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   French: https://www.bag.admin.ch/dam/bag/fr/dokumente/str/nis/NISSGV/v -
nissg.pdf.download.pdf/V -NISSG_FR.pdf   
 Italian: https://www.bag.admin.ch/dam/bag/it/dokumente/str/nis/NISSGV/v -
nissg.pdf.download.pdf/V -NISSG_IT.pdf   
Federal Act on Pro tection Against Hazards Arising from Non -Ionising Radiation and Sound 
(NIRSA); available in German, French, Italian and English  
 German: https://www.admin.ch/opc/de/federal -gazette/20 17/4211.pdf   
 French: https://www.admin.ch/opc/fr/federal -gazette/2017/3949.pdf   
 Italian: https://www.admin.ch/opc/it/federal -gazette/2017/3619.pdf   
 English: attached  
9. Proposed date of adoption: March 2019  
Proposed date of entry into force: January 2020  
10. Final date for comments: 2 months from the date of notification  
11. Texts available  from: National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:   
https://members.wto.org/ crnattachments/2018/TBT/CHE/18_4181_00_e.PDF