Electrical Appliance And Material Safety Law

Since "Electrical Appliance and Material Control Law" was renamed the "Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law" in August 1999 and is to be enforced from April 2001, radical amendments such as abolishment of prior control, the introduction of third-party certification by a private organization in the case of certifying standards is being made.

(Hereinafter, the new Law)

(1) PURPOSE OF THE LAW AND SYSTEM

The objective of this law is to prevent the occurrence of danger and trouble resulting from electrical appliances by regulating the manufacture and sale, etc. of electrical appliances by introducing the third-party certification system in order to ensure the safety.

(2) OUTLINE OF THE LAW AND SYSTEM

An establishment who intends to manufacture or import electrical appliances and materials shall be under obligation to notify the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (Article 3), and the electrical appliances and materials shall be manufactured or imported conforming with technical standards (Article 8).

Electrical appliances and materials deemed likely to be dangerous or cause trouble are defined as "specific electrical appliances"(Paragraph 2 of Article 2). An establishment who intends to manufacture or import the said appliances and materials shall take a legitimate test conducted by a testing organization or approved by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, receive the issuance of a conformity certificate and then preserve it (Article 9). Furthermore, in the new Law, all establishments shall be obligated to conform to technical standards (Article 8), prepare and store testing record (Article 8) and label (Article 10).

In order to substantiate post control in line with the abolishment of prior control, when deemed necessary in order to prevent the occurrence of danger or trouble if electrical appliances and materials manufactured or imported by a manufacturer do not conform to technical standards from the viewpoint of consumers' safety, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry may order to ban labeling attached to electrical appliances and materials to which the said electrical appliances belong (Paragraph 1 of Article 12). Furthermore, when deemed necessary in order to prevent the expansion of danger or trouble with electrical appliances and materials that do not conform with technical standards, the Minister of International Trade and Industry may order that necessary measures (eg. the withdrawal of the said electrical appliances and materials) be taken (Article 42-5), a penalty shall be imposed to the violation of the order. The maximum fine for a juristic person violating an order to prevent danger, etc. shall be not exceed 100,000,000 yen and provisions required for other penal provisions shall be prescribed.

(3) CABINET ORDER AND MINISTRIAL ORDINANCES

• Enforcement Order of the Electrical Appliance and Material Control Law
• Enforcement Regulations of the Electrical Appliance and Material Control Law

(4) OUTLINE OF THE CONTROL

1)  Items Covered

Electrical appliance and materials

2)  Outline of Specifications, Standards and Inspections, etc.

In the Electrical Appliance and Material Control Law, technical standards for approximately 450 electrical appliances subject to control were established. Of those, 237 of the said standards for electrical appliances and materials are adopted by international IEC standards.

In the case of taking a conformity test for specific electrical appliances and materials, a manufacturer is able to take testing at a testing organization authorized (for domestic establishments) or approved (for foreign establishments) by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (Articles 9, 29 and 42-3).

[Flowchart of the Control]

(5) HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RECENT AMENDMENT

Since the "Electrical Appliance and Material Control Law" is to be renamed the "Electrical Appliance Safety Law" from April 2001, the designated testing agency system and type authorization is to be abolished by shifting government certification to third-party certification by private sector (promulgation in August 1999).

(6) REFERENCE INFORMATION

(Liaison Office for Further Information)

Product Safety Division, Consumer Affairs Department, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Electric Power Safety Division Agency for Nuclear and Industrial Safety, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Tel: 03-3501-1511

Source : http://www.meti.go.jp/