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BACKGROUND
I
n 1989, México had the regulation NOM-J-152-1989 (a mandatory regulation) which applied to
household electrical appliances. This regulation had a limited scope and provided a low safety level
compared with the existing International Standards and those from other countries.
As a result of the negotiations and the eventual coming into effect of the North American Free Trade Agreement,
the Federal Law of Metrology and Standardization was reformed as Federal Law on Metrology and
Standardization, under which the regulation NOM-003-SCFI-1993 was published in the Federal Official Gazette
as safety requirements for household and similar electrical appliances. This regulation had a general approach on
electrical products, and it was based on the International Standard IEC 335-I-1976, Safety of household and
similar electrical appliances ed2.0 (1976-01), and its amendments 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Due the NOM-003-SCFI-1993 applied to electrical products in general terms, it created constant problems in
the assessment of non-electrical household products, such as tools, luminaries, energy control equipment, etc.,
because of inadequate specifications and testing methods according to the products usage and risk conditions.
Based upon the experience attained through the implementation of the NOM-003-SCFI-1993, on January 10,
2001, the NOM-003-SCFI-2000, Electric products – Safety specifications was published. This regulation kept a
generic standard approach, divided in Sections, in order to group the electrical products according to their usage
and risk level, and posing the fundamental safety principles, applicable to electric products in México:
Section one: Electric devices;
Section two: Household electrical appliances ;
Section three: Electrical hand-held motor operated tools ;
Section four: Control and distribution equipment; and
Sección cinco: Luminaries.
This regulation provided the safety fundamentals applicable to electrical products:
- Protection against direct contact;
- Protection against indirect contact;
- Protection against thermal effects;
- Protection against current overloads;
- Protection against fault (leakage) current; and
- Protection against overvoltage.
This regulation has, as its main basis, the following International Standards:
IEC 60335-1, Safety of household and similar electrical appliances - Part 1: General requirements,
ed3.0 (1991-04) and amendments 1 (1994-11) and 2 (1999-06).
IEC 60745-1, Safety of hand-held motor operated tools - Part 1: General requirements, ed6.0 (1998-05).
NOM-003-SCFI-2000 increased the degree of concordance with International Standards IEC (International
Electrotechnical Commission), in its turn increasing the products security level.
With the purpose of achieving a correct implementation, the regulation came into effect in staggered manner.
It was pending the coming into force of the fourth stage, in which the requirements of Parts 2 of the standards
based on International Standards IEC would apply.
new
NOM-003SCFI-2014
T
he NOM-003-SCFI-2014 published on May 28,
2015 (Federal Official Gazette), is presented according to advances within the International Standardization. The electric sector has the chance to
achieve a further advance on the degree of concordance
with the International Standards, as it is the case for the
application of Parts 2 of the IEC standards, with the
purpose of attaining a higher safety level (see Figure 1),
in accordance with the International Standards, resulting in
a greater level of competitiveness with the Mexican market,
to ease of establishing Mutual Recognition Agreements.
Essential components of the new NOM-003-SCFI are
the conformity assessment schemes, in lines with the
International Schemes and the domestic reality. The
proposed procedures will reduce costs and improve the
efficiency of the domestic conformity’s assessment system.
The sections structure is maintained, adding sections six
and seven:
Section one: Electric devices
Section two: Household electrical appliances
Section three: Electrical hand-held motor
operated tools
Section four: Control and distribution equipment
Section five: Luminaries
Section six: Seasonal decorative products
Section seven: Electric toys
In that order of ideas, the regulation NOM-003SCFI-2014 based upon the Mexican Standard: NMXJ-521/1-ANCE; NMX-J-524/1-ANCE, NMX-J-038/1ANCE, and NMX-J-307-ANCE, which, in their turn were
developed based upon the International Standards IEC
60335-1, IEC 60745-1, IEC 60974-1, and IEC 60598-1,
respectively, among other standards applicable to specific products. It consolidates an approach based upon
risk (see Figure 2) with three main axes:
1. Consumer’s information (according to the use and
safety usage of the product.)
2. Protection against hazards from the product itself (of
electric and non-electric nature.)
3. Protection against hazards caused by the effect of
external influences on the product.
Safety Level Evolution
Very high
High
Moderate
Low
Very low
Figure 1. Evolution of safety levels in the regulation applicable to electric products.
Safety integration principles for products
The electric product must be designed and manufactured so it offers protection
in normal conditions and fault conditions. It should foresee all the hazards
resulting from the usage of the products, taking into account its functionality,
including the special features of the product or those hazards caused by
external influences in the product itself.
Protection against electric shocks
The accessible conductive parts should not be live parts in normal conditions.
Having protection against hazards which may arise from:
a) Leakage (fault) current; b) power supply; c) static charges; d) electric arcs;
e) electric shocks; or f) burns.
Protection against mechanical hazards
Due to the product or the effect of any external force by:
Instability: failure during operation; fall or expulsion of objects; inadequate surfaces, edges or corners; mobile parts, especially in the existence of variations in
the speed of the rotation of pieces; vibration; inappropriate accessories or parts.
Protection against other hazards
- Explosion: hazards resulting from electric, magnetic or electromagnetic fields;
ionizing and non-ionizing radiations; electric, magnetic or electromagnetic
disturbances; optical radiation; fire; temperature; audible noise; biological and
chemical effects; emission, production and/or use of hazardous substances;
unsupervised operation; connection and interruption of power supply.
Combination of the product with other products; implosion, hygiene conditions;
ergonomic.
Functional safety and reliability
Taking into consideration the condition of a failure and the reasonably foreseeable
misuse.
a) Product design; b) hazards associated with the type of product; c) failures in
the power system.
Information requirements
The product should bear the information, printed and clearly.
Consider the information in marking and instructions, crucial for the safe use
of the product.
Include instructions for its safe installation (assembly), maintenance, cleaning,
operation, and storage.
Provide warnings, in the event risks remain, in spite of adopting every possible
measure or in the event of potential non-obvious risks.
Figure 2. Risks addressed by the NOM-003-SCFI-2014, in terms of the international
guide IEC 104 (2010-08): the preparation of safety publications, and the use of basic
safety publications, and group safety publications.
As in any other process, in the regulatory process we keep in
mind two types of possible errors:
Error Type I: Failure to regulate (sub regulating or non-regulating)
when required to do so, consequently generating damages or
losses.
Error Type II: Regulating where it is not needed or more than
proportionate to risk, bringing about more risks and reducing
benefits.
Given these two types of errors, the NOM-003-SCFI-2014
seeks equilibrium. That is, it intends to address the collective
preference. The sum of the Standardization and Conformity
Assessment, which establishes this new regulation, in terms
of the International Standards, is an intelligent self-regulatory
method. This:
• Generates competitive structural factors, and
• Contributes value and improves the insertion of the domestic
economy within the international setting.
In short, its benefits will impact the safety and the competitiveness (see Figure 3).
Citizen:
1.Consumer information (according to the use and safety usage of the product)
2.Protection against hazards from the product itself (electric and non-electric
nature)
3.Protection against hazards from the effect of external influences on the
product (mechanical and non-mechanical)
4.Safety for the consumer when reducing the risks to an acceptable level
5.Greater offering of safe products
Entrepreneurs:
1.Loyal competition within the domestic market by having an applicable
regulation for security purposes
2.Lower risk to investments, given the market’s greater competitiveness
3.Access feasibility to markets based upon regulations and standards.
4.Greater legal certainty in the compliance with the NOM
5.Elimination of unnecessary procedures and costs by application of specific
standards
6.Elimination of unnecessary procedures by including requirements for
commercial information
Competitiveness:
1.Greater competitiveness within the domestic market by basing the market
upon essential security principles and internationally-based standards upon the
Technical Barriers to Trade from the World Commerce Organization (WTO)
2.Improving the domestic technical infrastructure for safety
3.Feasibility to establish Mutual Recognition Agreements by basing upon
standards equivalent to those international ones, and to those from our main
commercial partners, upon the consequential reduction of costs in demonstration
compliance
4.Eased innovation by distinguishing essential requirement to comply with
standard
Figure 3. Expected benefits from the application of NOM-003-SCFI-2014.
The NOM-003-SCFI-2014 puts us within a competitiveness context with the security standards from our major commercial partners (NAFTA),
according to the established in the SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America), and in accordance with the regional harmonization
works from CANENA (Council for Harmonization of Electrotechnical Standards of the Nations in the Americas.)
This regulation establishes a consistent relationship between standard or standard ( NMX ) , and technical regulation (NOM ) ( see figures 4 and 5 ).
Standard
NMX
Regulation
NOM
Globally
accepted as
good practice
of government
Effective means to
demonstrate
compliance with the
essential purposes of
the regulation
Essential purpose:
safety, health,
environmental
protection and
infrastructure
Figure 4.- A congruent pair
Electric products - Security specifications
General
standard
HOUSEHOLD AND
SIMILAR ELECTRICAL
APPLIANCES
NMX-J-521/1-ANCE
IEC-60335-1
LUMINARIES
NMX-J-307-ANCE
IEC 60598-1
WIRING DEVICES
NMX-J-508-ANCE
IEC/TR 61916
Specific
standard
DISTRIBUTION AND
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
NMX-J-515-ANCE
Specific standard
Parts 2
Specific standard
SEASONAL AND
HOLIDAY DECORATIVE
PRODUCTS
NMX-J-588-ANCE
Specific standard
Specific standard
ELECTRIC TOYS
NMX-J-175/1-ANCE
IEC 62115
TOOLS
NMX-J-038/1-ANCE
IEC-60974
ARC WELDING EQUIPMENT
NMX-J-524-ANCE
IEC-60745
HAND-HELD MOTOR
OPERATED ELECTRIC
TOOLS
Specific standard
Specific standard
Specific standard
Specific standard
Parts 2
Figura 5.- Regulación NOM y estándares NMX.
Additionally, the aspects of the conformity assessment were improved to raise its reliability. In
both cases, the assumptions established in Article 40
of the Regulations for the Federal Law on Metrology
and Standardization was addressed, for reviewing
Regulations.
On the other hand, the new NOM-003-SCFI was
defined taking into account the technical feasibility
of the compliance verification, and the existence
of technical infrastructure for the conformity assessment, in accordance with the terms established
in Article 32 of the Regulations for the Federal Law on
Metrology and Standardization.
Ing. Abel HERNÁNDEZ PINEDA,
Chief Executive Officer of ANCE.