UL launches two services designed for organizations seeking to demonstrate due diligence in compliance with the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, effective July 1, 2006. UL introduces a RoHS Product Certification and a UL Restricted Substances Management System Registration to help organizations self-declare compliance to RoHS.

UL RoHS Product Certification and Product Mark

Under its RoHS Product Certification program, UL tests representative samples of a product at the homogeneous level for the six substances restricted by RoHS and that the levels for those substances are in compliance with the limits set by the RoHS Directive. Substances covered under RoHS include lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), hexavalent chromium (Cr+6), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).

If the product meets the RoHS Directive limits, UL authorizes the organization to apply the UL RoHS Product Certification and Product Mark to the manufactured product. Products that qualify for the UL RoHS Product Certification and Product Mark must also meet UL’s RoHS Product Certification requirements, including on-site surveillance visits twice per year from a UL representative.

UL Restricted Substances Management System Registration

UL’s Restricted Substances Management System Registration assesses an organization’s compliance with the standards established by the International Electrotechnical Commission Quality Assessment System for Electronic Components (IECQ QC 080000 HSPM). These standards require that organizations have implemented processes to identify and control the hazardous substance content in their products. Processes covered include, but not limited to, management responsibility, product design, purchasing, production, and analysis of data.

The QC 080000 contains additional requirements to the ISO 9001 standard. Therefore, organizations that have Quality Management Systems that conform to ISO 9001 will realize comparability when they implement conformance to the QC 080000 Standard for Hazardous Substance Process Management (HSPM). Additionally, organizations with Management Systems that conform to other Standards such as ISO 14001 for Environmental Management Systems will also realize benefit as they implement conformance to QC 080000.

Frequently Asked Questions about UL RSCS Program

Q.	What is UL’s Restricted Substances Compliance Solutions (RSCS) for RoHS program?
A:	UL’s RSCS program helps original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers of electronics equipment to self-declare compliance to the RoHS directive. The core program consists of four main focuses, namely education, planning, implementation and continuing compliance.
Q.	What services will UL provide to assist its clients in achieving self-declaration to RoHS?
A:	The RSCS program provides a comprehensive list of services that can be bundled to fit a manufacturer’s needs. These include training workshops, preliminary investigation, engineering evaluation, compliance strategy, testing, and surveillance/ audit.
Q.	Where should I start with the restricted substances compliance?
A:	You can begin with any of UL’s services. For manufacturers at the very beginning stages of compliance, UL suggests starting with a public or private training workshop, then moving to a preliminary investigation or a compliance strategy.
Q.	Must I have all of my products tested?
A:	No, a manufacturer can select as many or as few of his products for testing as he wishes.
Q.	Does UL provide certification Marks for RoHS?
A:	Yes, UL offers a UL RoHS Product Certification and Product Mark, which indicates a product has been tested at the homogeneous level for the six RoHS substances and that the levels for those substances are below the limits set by the Directive. The UL RoHS Product Certification and Product Mark helps organizations self-declare compliance with the RoHS Directive. UL also offers a UL Restricted Substances Management System Registration Mark, which indicates that manufacturing systems in place are complying with IEC/ QS 080000 HSPM. Manufacturers can utilize the Marks on products or components that have passed UL’s requirements. The Marks can also be used on customers’ brochures, packaging and Web sites.

See also: UL RSCS helps Synta ensure the RoHS compliance of its supply chain