Australian RCM Mark – What you should know!

Approvals

In 2016 Australia introduced the new Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM). This replaced both the Electrical Safety Approval number and the C-Tick.

Though it is worth mentioning that any stock still showing the older markings can still be legally sold until existing stocks are exhausted. After that newly imported power supplies need to show the new RCM mark.

One of the purposes of the new RCM scheme is to provide more funds to both increase the number of inspectors out in the field and the number of prosecutions of importers who don't abide by the law. The inspectors will be on the lookout for non-compliant and potentially dangerous items.

There are significant penalties for anyone found to be breaking the law, including:

Hefty Fines and
Imprisonment

On top of that perpetrators could also have to foot the bill for:

Mandatory product recalls
Compensation to effected parties
Public Notices and Advertising of the Recall

No one wants to get caught up in this sort of scenario.

This is why it is vital that you ensure any power supply that you purchase is compliant with Australia’s strict electrical safety and EMC regulations.

You have to be particularly careful when purchasing MEAN WELL power supplies, as both approved and non-approved power supplies can be sold under the same part number around the world.

Some of the non-approved models do end up in Australia.

What is particularly alarming is the number of online wholesalers and distributors who readily sell non-approved MEAN WELL power supplies into Australia.

If the wholesaler, or distributor does not have an office in Australia, then you are the importer and under the law it is your responsibility to ensure the power supply is approved. However, if you have purchased from an Australian based business then they are deemed to be the importer and the product you are supplied should have Australian approvals.

Don't presume that because a business' website has a .com.au domain it is located in Australia. Check the contact page for an Australian address and phone number. If you are still not sure, search the ASIC database for the company. You can do this for free on the ASIC website: ASIC Company Search

The problem seems to be more prominent with suppliers who hold stocks overseas. This is because they maintain one set of inventory to service a number of different countries.

There are a number of MEAN WELL power supplies that have to be modified in order to comply with Australian electrical safety regulations. These modifications are carried out by MEAN WELL at the request of ADM during the manufacturing process.

In many cases the modification renders the power supply non-compliant in other jurisdictions and the product label is altered to reflect this.

Below is an example of the MEAN WELL PWM-120-24 that is stocked by ADM and the standard version of the same model available overseas.

We have highlighted the different compliance markings on the two. Note how the UL marking has been replaced with the RCM mark. This is because the modification that was required to make this model Australian compliant rendered it non-compliant with the UL regulations.

Australian approved Mean Well LED drivers

If a supplier is just stocking the standard version of the MEAN WELL power supply, then it may not be approved for Australia, even though ADM stocks a power supply with exactly the same model number.

With the exeption of two series, it is ADM who holds the electrical safety certification for the MEAN WELL power supplies we stock.

If you have any questions about MEAN WELL power supplies and Australian approvals, please do not hesitate to contact ADM. A member of our expert team will gladly answer any question you may have.