I'm actually astonished by the apparent claim that the European way isn't how it's done everywhere for low-risk compliance.
I picked up a random piece of electronics with a bunch of logos that show it's authorised to be imported and sold in important jurisdictions. It happened to be a Netgear switch.
It has a CE logo (from the European Union) and an FCC logo (from the US).
For the CE logo Netgear's people will have verified that it behaves in accordance with the relevant rules, as part of normal procedure for any product, and the sticker with the logo on just affirms to an importer that Netgear says this complies. Nobody outside Netgear will have checked it's compliant unless/ until somebody realises there's a problem.
Only very high risk items in the CE scheme actually need checks by a third party, that's stuff like pacemakers where if it goes wrong you'll literally die.
Is it really true that the FCC and similar US agencies have people at factories and ports across the US checking everything manufactured or imported is complying to their rules?
> Only very high risk items in the CE scheme actually need checks by a third party
It's not just pacemakers, pretty much the whole PPE category requires inspection by independent third parties (notified bodies).
That's obvious stuff like climbing gear and equipment for work at height, maybe less so for certain gloves, helmets, eyewear, carabiners, rope, etc.
Compare the checks for climbing rope, and the whole EN/US scheme is inverted. We have so few standards in the US market that we just piggyback on theirs.
Yes, the difference is that in the US you don't get to 'self-certify' for a lot of cases where in the EU you can. That puts the burden on the authorities to get it right, whereas in the EU you can expect a retro-active smackdown if you fuck up.
I picked up a random piece of electronics with a bunch of logos that show it's authorised to be imported and sold in important jurisdictions. It happened to be a Netgear switch.
It has a CE logo (from the European Union) and an FCC logo (from the US).
For the CE logo Netgear's people will have verified that it behaves in accordance with the relevant rules, as part of normal procedure for any product, and the sticker with the logo on just affirms to an importer that Netgear says this complies. Nobody outside Netgear will have checked it's compliant unless/ until somebody realises there's a problem.
Only very high risk items in the CE scheme actually need checks by a third party, that's stuff like pacemakers where if it goes wrong you'll literally die.
Is it really true that the FCC and similar US agencies have people at factories and ports across the US checking everything manufactured or imported is complying to their rules?