Marking of prescribed electrical equipment
Marking requirements
Electrical appliance approval label
RCM mark
Period of approval
Recognition of approval
Modification to approval of electrical equipment
The C-tick
Marking requirements
Prescribed equipment must be marked with the approved mark required by the electrical regulator who approved the equipment, or be marked with the regulatory compliance mark (RCM).
Typically, these markings consist of a letter to indicate the State in which approval was granted, followed by a number of symbols.
Examples from the various regulators include:
| Queensland: | Q91610, Q051123 |
| Western Australia: | W2015 |
| Victoria: | V99, V105, V98333, V05212 |
| New South Wales: | N11, N10422, NSW1234, or |
QAS:TE1234, SAI:TE1234 with  or  |
|
| South Australia: | S1, S442 |
| Australian Capital Territory: | A050 |
| Tasmania: | T05123 |
Electrical appliance approval label
RCM mark
Australian Standard AS/NZS 4417.1 Marking of electrical products to indicate compliance with regulations - General rules for use of the mark (non-Queensland Government link) , provides general requirements for the use of the RCM.
Period of approval
An approval is issued for a period of up to five years and may include any conditions necessary to ensure the equipment meets the required safety. The approval holder will be informed of any conditions when the certificate of approval is issued. The approval can be renewed or extended (subject to meeting safety criteria) to allow the continued sale of the equipment after the initial approval period ends.
Recognition of approval
The Queensland Approval is recognised in all states of Australia and New Zealand as meeting the requirements for sale that each state and New Zealand have in place.
Queensland recognises the approval granted by other states of Australia as meeting the requirements for sale in Queensland.
Modification to approval of electrical equipment
Modifications that are made to electrical equipment during its period of approval must also be registered with the Electrical Safety Office to ensure the changes do not impact on the safety of the electrical equipment.
General modifications include but are not limited to change of trade name, re-rating of equipment, change of components within equipment, styling changes.
Additional models that are similar to the model listed in the approval can also be added to the approval. (For example drill model "xyz" is similar to drill model ‘abc" except for additional reversing switch).
Applications for modification to approval must include:
- the approved form (PDF, 206 KB);
- a test report (if required);
- modification details;
- a sample if requested; and
- the prescribed fee.
Once Queensland approval for the modification is obtained an attachment to certificate of approval is issued. The electrical equipment must not be sold or offered for sale before the attachment to certificate of Approval is issued.
Read more about penalties for breaching the legislation.
Unless otherwise stated, the attachment to certificate of approval is valid for as long as the original certificate of approval remains current. An attachment to certificate of approval does not change the expiry date of the original certificate of approval.
The C-tick
The C-tick is not an electrical safety approval.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) regulates the EMC requirements of electrical product (The C-tick). This recognition process allows the use of a number that starts with an "N" eg N1244. This number should not be confused with the approval number issued by NSW.
The C-Tick number must be placed next to the C-Tick or RCM symbol.
For information on the C-Tick and EMC requirements contact the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Last updated June 2, 2009
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