January 2019

On October 13, 2018, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a Direct Final Rule in Federal Register 83 FR 53371 regarding infant bath tubs. The rule amended 16 CFR 1234 to adopt the latest version of the ASTM F2670 standard.

In the updated version of ASTM F2670, the scope of the voluntary standard is expanded to include accessories used with an infant bath tub. Also, addressed in the new standard are new performance tests for accessories used with infant bath tubs, and a change in product labeling and instructions. For products manufactured on or after January 15, 2019, the relative product must be tested in accordance with ASTM F2670-18.

The rule became effective on January 15, 2019 unless significant adverse comments were received by November 23, 2018.

Requirements for a Certification of Conformance (COC) are introduced in the updated version of this standard. For protective footwear to be sold in the US, a test report complying with ASTM F2413-18 and a COC issued by an independent third-party laboratory are required.

ASTM F2413-18 provides specifications related to the minimum design, performance, testing, and classification of footwear to protect individuals from workplace hazards. According to the updated standard, performance requirements shall be arranged following ASTM Test Methods F2412 and ASTM Specification F2413.Additionally, a Certification of Conformance (COC) is expected to be issued by a third-party laboratory and should include the following information:

• Name, contact information, and authorization signatures of the third-party laboratory

• Name of the company

• Manufacturer’s references (product category, style, model, SKU, etc)

• Issue date of certification

• Report number and issue date associated with the Certificate of Conformance (COC)

• Statement that the manufacturer’s reference meets the performance requirements of ASTM Specification F2413-18 as tested in accordance with ASTM Test Methods F2412-18 and lists the safety hazards tested

On December 10, 2018, the Oregon Health Authority adopted the notice of proposal announcing the amendment of a List of Practical Quantification Limits (PQL) for listed HPCCCH.

According to the amendment, new PQLs are introduced for 5 recently added HPCCCH (See test) in Exhibit A of OAR 333-016-2035. Individual PQLs of mentioned HPCCCH are shown below.

The amendment came into force on January 1, 2019.

On November 16, 2018, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced a proposal to clarify supply chain responsibility to provide “clear and reasonable” warnings under Proposition 65. This will allow a manufacturer, producer, packager, importer, supplier, or distributor of consumer products to deliver the exposure warning of chemicals to their authorized retail sellers via a written notice.

Currently, Proposition 65 places the primary responsibility to provide consumer product warnings onto the manufacturers, producers, packagers, importers, suppliers, and distributors. This requirement was intended, in part, to reduce the burden on retailers. The proposed amendment clarifies that these intermediate businesses may satisfy their obligation to provide a warning by placing a warning directly on the product or through a written notice to an authorized agent, who may be another business along the supply chain that receives the product before a retailer. In addition, OEHHA has proposed a clarification of when a retailer has “actual knowledge” of consumer product exposure by stipulating that the information must be of “sufficient specificity for the retail seller to readily identify the product” that requires a warning.

The proposed amendments were under a comment period through December 31, 2018.

In 1986, California voters approved an initiative titled California Proposition 65 to address their growing concerns about exposure to toxic chemicals. Since its origin, there have been many lawsuits that have resulted in reformulations of consumer products containing carcinogenic and reproductively harmful chemicals on the Cal Prop 65 list. Prior to legal action, a 60-day Notice is served to provide an opportunity for public enforcers to decide whether they should pursue the action in lieu of private enforcement. It also provides the alleged violator an opportunity to consult with an attorney, respond to the alleged violation, and help prevent continuing penalties.

Recent 60-day notices from April to October of 2018 include the following:

On December 06, 2018, the Government of Ontario approve a notice of decision to revoke the Upholstered and Stuffed Articles Regulation (O. Reg. 218/01).

Starting July 01, 2019, upholstered and stuffed articles imported to the Province of Ontario will no longer require prior registration with the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA). The corresponding regulation, oversight and enforcement of requirements will be eliminated. The US regulation will be applied from now until the date of enforcement, and TSSA will continue its enforcement role of the regulation until July 1, 2019.

It is important to note that this revocation is intended for Ontario only. Upholstered and stuffed articles destined for sale in Quebec or Manitoba are still required to fulfill the necessary labeling requirements in the provinces. Additionally, upholstered and stuffed articles are subject to Federal requirements under the Canada Consumer Products Safety Act and Textile Labeling Act.

On November 22, 2018, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) published a new version of EN 1022 merging the test method of work office seating with all other seating into a single standard. The new standard supersedes EN 1022:2005 and EN 1335-3.

This updated standard is specifically for domestic furniture. The new version of EN 1022 now covers all types of seating and incorporates the test method for office swivel chairs and outdoor seating, which were previously covered by individual standards. A summary of the major modifications of the standard are as follows:

• Introduced a new definition for specific types of work seats, like a swiveling chair

• Introduced the definition of a raised edge side to clarify the design for work seats

• Updated the loading point and back loading point for swiveling chairs

• New testing position for the forward stability test for rigid seats with a large radius

• Added a corner stability test for seats other than office chairs

• Clarified the definition of a leg rest and footrest

• Included rocking chairs for the rearward stability test

Le 17 décembre 2018, la Commission européenne a publié le règlement (UE) 2018/2005 visant à mettre à jour les restrictions sur les phtalates dans l'entrée 51 de l'annexe XVII du règlement REACH.

Le DEHP, le DBP, le BBP et le DIBP sont largement utilisés comme plastifiants dans les produits de consommation, notamment le cuir artificiel des ceintures et les composants synthétiques des chaussures. Dans le cadre de la nouvelle restriction, le nombre de phtalates soumis à restriction passe de trois (DEHP, DBP et BBP) à quatre (DEHP, DBP, BBP et DIBP). Le champ d'application de la restriction s'étend des matériaux plastifiés dans les jouets et les articles de puériculture aux matériaux plastifiés dans les articles, à l'exception des catégories de produits suivantes :

• Articles destinés à un usage industriel ou agricole sous certaines conditions

• Véhicules à moteur relevant de la directive 2007/46/CE et aéronefs mis sur le marché avant le 7 janvier 2024

• Articles pour l'entretien des aéronefs et des véhicules à moteur

• Articles mis sur le marché avant le 7 juillet 2020

• Appareils de mesure pour laboratoire

• Matériaux et objets destinés à entrer en contact avec des denrées alimentaires conformément au règlement (CE) 1935/2004 ou matières plastiques destinées à entrer en contact avec des denrées alimentaires conformément au règlement (UE) 10/2011

• Dispositifs médicaux relevant des directives 90/385/CEE, 93/42/CEE ou 98/79/CE

• Équipements électriques et électroniques en vertu de la directive 2011/65/UE

• Emballage immédiat des médicaments

Les phtalates mentionnés ne doivent pas être présents dans un article, individuellement ou en combinaison avec d'autres phtalates, à une concentration égale ou supérieure à 0,1 % en poids.

Le nouvel amendement est entré en vigueur le 7 janvier 2019.

On November 22, 2018, the European Parliament proposed a new measure to improve the circulation of goods across the EU by expanding the application of the mutual recognition principle.

Under the draft regulation, the application of mutual recognition will be implemented in the following ways in order to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, create new business opportunities and widen the choice for consumers among Member States:

• Increased legal certainty for businesses and national authorities by clarifying the scope of mutual recognition

• Introduced new mutual recognition declarations to demonstrate that the goods in question have already been lawfully marketed in an EU country

• Established a problem-solving mechanism to address disputes related to the compatibility of an administrative decision denying or restricting market access

• Improved administrative cooperation through Product Contact Points and enhanced the exchange of information via IT platform

• Provided financial support for setting up the above mechanisms established under the new rules

Once the EU Parliament and Council approve the draft regulation, new rules will become effective 12 months after the regulation enters into force.

On November 16 2018, the Taiwan BSMI issued a draft amendment to the Mandatory Commodity Inspection Rules for Electric Blankets and 63 Other Appliances.

The new amendment intends to exempt several currently regulated electronic products from mandatory commodity inspection and RoHS labelling/declaration requirements. The following are examples of products, which are subject to the changes:

• USB port charged products with an input voltage of DC 5V and without the power adapter attached

• Products powered by a car cigarette lighter power supply or car power supply

• Three-phase voltage or simple battery powered products

Additionally, two new deadlines for certification are proposed.

• Before December 31, 2019, certification holders shall renew and submit type approval reports and technical documents for approval or inspection registration. Otherwise, the current registration will be rejected.

• Starting from January 1, 2019, the current standards according to Announcement No. 1063000780, 2017 are no longer applicable for certification registration.

The proposed amendment was under public comment until December 5, 2018.

On October 22, 2018, the South Korean Ministry of Environment published a draft amendment to the Notice on Eco-label Products and Standards.

Korea Eco-label helps the consumer to identify products in the market that are environmentally friendly. There are over 160 categories of products eligible to apply for Eco labels, including paper, photocopy machines, printers, paints, wallpapers, and bars of soap.

In the proposed amendment, 4 new product categories are introduced (Swimming equipment, cosmetic containers, clothes dryers and solar panel manufacturers). In addition, the certification criteria for currently existing products in the scope of this regulation are strengthened in order to comply with the latest certification standards.

The proposed amendment was under public comment until November 12, 2018.

On December 06, 2018, the Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) announced a proposal for a list of approved food contact materials (FCMs), including food utensils, containers and packaging.

Food contact utensils, containers and packaging in Japan are currently regulated under the Japan Food Sanitation Act, and there is no restriction on the use of food contact materials unless they are included in the list of prohibited materials.

The new positive system requires FCMs manufacturers to select approved materials from the approved list for production. Synthetic resin, including plastic is subject to regulation under the new rule. After implementation of the new system, manufacturers are expected to provide evidence of compliance to MHLW upon request.

This new system is proposed to enter into force on June 13, 2020.

On December 01, 2018, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of Hong Kong announced a proposed amendment to include the current toy safety standard in the Toys and Children’s Products Safety Ordinance (Cap. 424).

Below is a summary of proposed toys safety standards intended to be included in the current Toys and Children’s Products Safety Ordinance (Cap. 424).

The proposed amendment was under public comment until December 31, 2018.

In China, thousands of consumer products will be inspected and reported when hazards and non-compliance to applicable standards are identified among the products. The market surveillance will be performed on a Province basis, which is updated in a non-regular time frame. The China Market Surveillance from March 2018 to November 2018 is summarized below:

*Other Categories include Children's Product, Computer / Audio / Video / Other Electronics & Accessories, Cosmetics / Bodycare, Eyeware, Homeware (Non-food Contact), Jewelry, Watch or other Fashion Accessories, Lighting Equipment, Personal Protective Equipment (excluding eye protection), Stationary, Sporting Goods / Equipment and Tools with a frequency of less than 10.

Market Surveillance Summary - China (Last Update Date: November 30, 2018)

Le 29 juin 2018, Standards Australia et Standards New Zealand ont publié conjointement une nouvelle version de la norme de sécurité pour les jouets électriques, AS/NZS 62115:2018.

La nouvelle version de la norme est destinée à remplacer la version actuelle de la norme AS/NZS 62115:2011. Un résumé des modifications est présenté ci-dessous :

• a réaffirmé les conditions générales des tests

• Modification des critères de réduction des tests

• Introduction d'avertissements pour les jouets utilisant des piles boutons ou des pièces de monnaie et pour les jouets à enfourcher.

• Mise à jour des exigences relatives à l'accessibilité des batteries

• Exigences supplémentaires pour couvrir les jouets placés au-dessus d'un enfant et connectés à d'autres équipements

• Sources de rayonnement optique incorporées (annexe E) et utilisation de la fiche technique des DEL pour vérifier la conformité aux limites d'émission accessibles (LEA) spécifiées.

• Mesures actualisées du rayonnement optique du jouet (annexe E)

• Introduction d'une nouvelle annexe concernant les méthodes de mesure pour les jouets dotés d'une source de champ intégrée générant des champs électromagnétiques (CEM).

• ajout d'une annexe normative J concernant la sécurité des télécommandes pour les jouets électriques à enfourcher

La version actuelle de la norme de sécurité des jouets électroniques sera remplacée par la norme AS/NZS 62115:2018.

La nouvelle version de la norme entrera en vigueur le 29 juin 2021.

Le 05 décembre 2018, SASO a organisé un atelier pour informer les importateurs, les organismes de certification et les laboratoires sur la nouvelle norme EER, SASO 2902 Energy Efficiency, Functionality and Labelling Requirement for Lighting Products Part 2 (efficacité énergétique, fonctionnalité et exigences en matière d'étiquetage pour les produits d'éclairage). La norme SASO 2902 sera appliquée à partir du 1er avril 2019. Par ailleurs, les exigences de l'IECEE devront également être respectées à partir du 1er février 2019.

L'atelier s'est tenu à Riyad, en Arabie Saoudite, au siège de la SASO, et le calendrier de mise en œuvre a été fourni au cours de l'atelier. La SASO 2902 sera mise en œuvre le 1er janvier 2019 et entrera en vigueur le 1er avril 2019. Parallèlement, un certificat IECEE sera également exigé pour les produits d'éclairage à partir du 1er février 2019.

Veuillez vous référer au récapitulatif réglementaire du mois dernier pour plus de détails sur la nouvelle norme EER (voir test).