Techniques For RoHS Class Compliance

Directive 2002/95/EC, effective July 1, 2006, is not an EU law. Individual member states are to have their own regulations in line with the directive. The resultant variations from state to state, (including differences in verification and penalty clauses), pose difficulties for suppliers of electrical and electronic goods in developing compliance programs. For compliance suppliers have to guarantee that the entire unit is free (within threshold limit) of the six hazardous materials specified. This... Read more »

The RoHS Lead Free Directive and How to Comply

The RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC is often referred to as the Lead-free RoHS, even though it covers five other hazardous materials. The reason for this nick-name may be the ubiquitous nature of lead in electronic equipment and the potential health hazards associated with lead contamination. As per the directive, a product has to be below a threshold limit of 1000 parts per million (ppm) of lead on a homogeneous (any single substance that cannot be separated mechanically) material basis. The lead content... Read more »

OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) of Highly Hazardous Chemicals

The US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 5,702 workplace related fatalities (around 4 deaths per 100,000 workers) and approximately 4.2 million incidents of workplace related non-fatal injuries and illnesses. This demonstrates the continuing need for OSHA programs and initiatives to ensure safety and health in the workplace. Available data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) highlights the fact that non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses have been progressively... Read more »

RoHS Chemicals Legislation In Europe and China

The EU has developed the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive 2002/95/EC. This is only a directive (effective July 1, 2006) and member nations are to enact their own legislations based on its guidelines. The Chinese Administrative Measure on the Control of Pollution Caused by Electronic Information Products (popularly known as China RoHS) effective from March 1, 2007, is however a legislation. Both nations’ regulations are targeted at their respective domestic markets. The... Read more »

Preparing For and Surviving an OSHA Inspection

The primary responsibility of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is to develop and enforce health and safety standards that protect workers in the workplace. It has mandatory power to audit organizations for compliance of health and safety standards. OSHA conducts workplace inspections to make certain that employers are complying with the standards and providing a safe and healthful workplace. OSHA inspectors, called compliance and safety officers, carry out these inspections/audits.... Read more »

OSHA Guide to Noise and Hearing Safety, Health And Conservation

One of the occupational hazards of living in the modern industrial age is noise exposure, both in and away from the workplace. Acoustic noise can be defined as unwanted sound and sounds louder than 80 decibels (dB) are considered potentially dangerous. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), more than 30 million Americans are regularly exposed to hazardous sound levels. According to the EPA the number of people exposed to work induced noise damage... Read more »

What Manufacturers Need To Know About WEEE: The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Union aims at minimization of the impact of e-waste (discarded or end-of-life electrical or electronic equipment [EEE]), on the environment by increasing re-use and recycling and reducing the amount of WEEE going to landfills. It is closely linked to the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive 2002/95/EC which seeks to limit the presence of six hazardous materials in electrical and electronic equipment. There... Read more »

RoHS Complaint Industrial Control Switches

The RoHs directive restricts the use of lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), hexavalent chromium (Hex-Cr), poly-brominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) to maximum 1000 parts per million and cadmium to 100 ppm. The restrictions are on a homogeneous material basis, which means that they apply to any single substance that could (theoretically) be separated mechanically. The restricted substances have traditionally found extensive usage in Industrial control switches because they impart... Read more »