EESS Authorized Representative

EESS

Electrical Equipment Safety System

Electrical equipment safety approval for Australia and New Zealand

Why EESS and what is it?

The EESS is Australia and New Zealand's 'new approach' to electrical equipment approval. Equipment includes all household electrical appliances, electrical fixtures and electrical fittings.

The core driver of the EESS is that the supplier of electrical equipment must ensure that the item is electrically safe.

The EESS is a framework enabling suppliers to demonstrate the electrical safety of their products and thereby comply with electrical product safety legislation throughout Australia and New Zealand.

The EESS was developed in the early 2000s with the aim of replacing the State-based approvals regime with a single system that would provide Industry with a true 'approved once, accepted everywhere' facility.

Another, equally important, benefit of the EESS is that it centralizes the electrical safety criteria under one system. A criticism of the previous regime was not all regulators accepted the same evaluation Standards or provided the same interpretations for new and innovative appliances. However, under the EESS all participating Regulators contribute their expertise to a single body of knowledge.

As well as recognizing approval certificates issued by electrical regulators, the EESS includes a recognition framework for certificates issued by private-enterprise organizations. The are known as RECS certifiers.

In 2019 a major development boosted the relevance of the EESS in Australia - the State of Victoria joined the System and announced it would phase out recognition of private certification body approvals that operate under the New South Wales system. This was followed shortly afterwards by a declaration by the State of New South Wales that it recognized all equipment that was registered on the EESS Registration Database, thereby allowing equipment certified under a RECS scheme to be sold in NSW.

How does it work?

The EESS process is logical and straightforward:

Register your organization as a Responsible Supplier with the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council
Ensure your electrical equipment is electrically safe.
Find the risk level for your equipment.
Follow the conformity assessment pathway for the applicable risk level.
Register your equipment on the EESS database.
Affix the required marking to your product's rating plate.
Offer your equipment for sale

Depending on the risk level, your product might need specific approval. This can be achieved by approaching an electrical regulator or by engaging the services of a RECS. Regulator approvals and RECS certificates are acceptable as evidence of conformity with the specified safety Standard(s) for the product.

Even if your product is not required to have third-party approval or certification, there are benefits to holding such documents because they are effective demonstrations that you have completed your diligence and have firm evidence to back up your claim of electrical safety.

During the registration process, the Responsible Supplier is required to make a declaration that the equipment that they are registering is electrically safe. This is a legally-binding declaration and essentially means that the Responsible Supplier accepts responsibility for the electrical safety of their product.

Where to from here?

Clients often ask us what they need to get started with the EESS. Our advice is to obtain relevant Standards and visit the relevant websites:

Must-have Standards:

AS/NZS 3820 Essential safety requirements of electrical equipment
AS/NZS 4417.1 Regulatory compliance mark for electrical and electronic equipment - Part 1: Use of the mark.
AS/NZS 4417.2 Regulatory compliance mark for electrical and electronic equipment - part 2: Specific requirements for particular regulatory applications.
The relevant product Standard specified by AS/NZS 4417.2 for your product type.

Go-to websites:

Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council (ERAC)
Electrical Equipment Safety Scheme (EESS)
New Zealand Government (Worksafe)
Certification Bodies (JAS-ANZ)
Electrical Testing Laboratories (NATA)

For organizations who would like assistance navigating the equipment registration process, the EESS created the role of Authorized Representative. AACS is a registered Authorized Representative and we are ready to help. Contact us for further information and fees.