Setting up an electrical testing laboratory in a developing country

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION

Setting up an electrical testing laboratoryin a developing country

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONVienna, 2012

Setting up an electrical testing laboratoryin a developing country

Disclaimer

This document has been produced without formal United Nations editing. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or its economic system or degree of devel-opment. Designations such as “developed”, “industrialized” or “developing” are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgment about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process. Mention of firm names or commercial products does not constitute an endorsement by UNIDO.

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Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The IEC—International Standardization and Conformity Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

UNIDO’s role in conformity assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

How to set up an electrical testing laboratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

An electrical testing laboratory in Bhutan: project needs analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Electrical laboratory accreditation in Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

1

Introduction

Over one and a half billion people, mainly in developing countries, do not have access to electricity. As their fast-growing demand for electrical energy—expected to triple by 2050—is met over the com-ing years, there will be a rapid increase in the use of electrical household appliances and industrial installations and, with this, a concomitant need to check the safety and quality of electrical equipment on the market. This will be a major challenge for developing countries that lack adequate electrical testing capacity. They could, however, be helped to face this challenge by the IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission), the world’s leading organization in the preparation and publication of International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies, and UNIDO (the United Nations Industrial Development Organization), which has extensive experience in setting up testing laboratories in a variety of fields. Descriptions of the proposed establishment of an electrical testing laboratory in Bhutan and of the ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation of an electrical laboratory in Pakistan provide examples of how such challenges can be met.

Figure I. Automatic test equipment for the safety of electrical appliances

3

The IEC—International Standardization and Conformity Assessment

If the myriad electrical and electronic devices used by billions of people around the world are to work efficiently, safely and compatibly, they have to be governed by agreed technical specifications and metrics. The IEC works to ensure that they are. It prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies—collectively known as “electrotechnology”—bringing together 164 countries and drawing on close to 10,000 experts. IEC International Standards cover a vast range of technologies, from electric vehicles (EVs), renewables, and power generation, transmission and distribution, including smart grids, to home appliances and office equipment, batteries, nano-technology, and communication protocols—to mention just a few.

Fundamental to the application of the IEC International Standards is the process of conformity assess-ment (CA)—the determination that equipment, systems and components conform to the standards. IEC International Standards are used for all types of conformity assessment—first-, second- and third-party—and the IEC operates three conformity assessment systems that provide third-party programmes to ensure the safety, reliability and performance of products and systems.

IEC offers developing countries participating in its Affiliate Country Programme assistance in using its three Conformity Assessment Systems.

The Three IEC Conformity Assessment Systems—one standard, one test, one certificate opening many doors

IECEE, the IEC System of conformity assessment schemes for electrotechnical equipment and com-ponents, is a truly international conformity assessment system. Its flagship scheme, the IECEE CB Scheme, based on the member national certification bodies’ (NCBs) recognition of each other’s test results, opens up access for products to the global market. Products tested and certified in one country will be accepted in all other IECEE member countries.

The IECEE CB Scheme provides assurance that tested and certified products meet the strictest levels of safety, reliability and performance, as required by the IEC International Standards. It helps to reduce costs and time to market, eliminates duplicate or multiple testing, and offers a high level of confidence for manufacturers, retailers and consumers alike.

Nor is acceptance of the CB Scheme confined to its member countries: through the CB Test Certificates and the associated CB Test Report, the Scheme is also accepted in countries that are not part of the IECEE community. A CB Test Certificate is indeed a global passport for electrical products.

IECEE is also the exclusive provider of the PV (photovoltaic) Quality Seal and Quality Mark and, when there is a need, offers new services to meet specific demands from industries and governments worldwide who have to engage with ongoing technological innovations and emerg-ing environmental issues.

Setting up an electrical testing laboratory In a developing country4

Figure II. PCB (printed circuit board) testing

In addition to the safety aspects, the IECEE System operates and provides services related to electrical energy efficiency, called the E3 Programme. This programme ensures that products are compliant with energy consumption, performance and noise-level requirements.

Factory inspection—global proof of consistent quality

The IECEE System also operates the CB-FCS (Full Certification Scheme) that is based on ISO/IEC System 5. This scheme is the most comprehensive in that it includes factory surveillance, follow-up services, retesting and market control in addition to type testing. This is of considerable value to manufacturers: CB-FCS provides proof that each product from a certified factory offers consistent levels of quality and safety over time.

With the CB-FCS, a manufacturer can complete all the certification and factory surveillance steps in the country in which the factory operates. These include product sampling and testing, assessment and surveillance of assembly lines and management processes, and ongoing surveillance through regular resampling and retesting of products, both at the factory and in the market place.

All members participating in the CB-FCS mutually recognize the CB-FCS Conformity Assessment Certificates (CACs) and associated Conformity Assessment Reports (CARs), including Factory Surveil-lance Reports, as the basis for national approval or certification in their own countries. The CB-FCS also helps to reduce trade barriers caused by the application of different national certification criteria and speeds up certification and market access.

Factory Surveillance Reports can be used as stand-alone proof that the factory location and the relevant assembly line meet the requirements of the scheme in terms of the process conformance and consist-ency needed to build certified products in compliance with the product standards.

The IEC established IECEx, the IEC System for certification to standards relating to equipment for use in explosive atmospheres to ensure the safe use of equipment in places where flammable liquids, vapours, gases or combustible dusts could present a fire or explosion hazard.

IECEx certification, implemented through more than 50 IECEx-approved ExCBs (Ex Certification Bodies) in 30 countries, has become the world’s best practice for demonstrating compliance with international standards in such hazardous areas. Its credentials include acceptance by end-users and its recent formal endorsement by the United Nations, through UNECE (the United Nations Eco-nomic Commission for Europe), as the recommended global best practice model for regulating the

5Setting up an electrical testing laboratory In a developing country

safety of equipment and persons working in areas where the potential for an explosive atmosphere may exist.

All sectors of the Ex industry—oil refineries, offshore oil rigs, gas plants, mines, sugar refineries, flour mills, grain silos, and the paper and textile sectors, among others—have embraced the IEC Interna-tional Standards. But producing equipment based on IEC International Standards for explosive atmos-pheres is not enough. Most manufacturers, suppliers and end-users trade globally and have to meet the very strict requirements put in place by national regulations and legislation. Proving their adherence to those requirements can be costly and time-intensive.

To meet this need, IECEx has, since its inception in 1996, established a number of schemes that provide assurance that the equipment and systems are manufactured and operated according to the highest international standards of safety:

• Equipment—the IECEx Certified Equipment Scheme

An IECEx Certificate provides clear proof of compliance with the International Standards. It is like a passport for manufacturers of Ex equipment: by certifying that the equipment has the right level of protection, it gives products access to foreign markets without the burden of repeat testing. Importers can be assured that products bearing an IECEx Certificate conform to the International Standards listed on that certificate.

• Services—the IECEx Certified Service Facilities Scheme (e.g., repair and overhaul)

Equipment and machinery used by companies operating in hazardous areas have a much higher capital cost than the same equipment used elsewhere. Once purchased and installed, the equipment has to last many years. This is why repairing the equipment is more cost-effective than replacing it—and there are compatibility issues relating to the replacement of parts. In response, the Ex repair industry developed, along with IEC International Standard 60079-19, Explosive atmospheres—Part 19: equipment repair, overhaul and reclamation. The question for industry was: how can I be confident that an Ex repair workshop has:

o The required repair facilities specified in IEC 60079-19;

o The required systems;

o The required skilled personnel?

Industry then turned to IECEx for a solution. In 2007 the IECEx Certified Service Facility Scheme was introduced. It assesses and certifies that organizations and workshops that provide repair and overhaul services to the Ex industry, respecting the strict requirements of IEC 60079-19.

• Personnel competence—IECEx Certification of Personnel Competence Scheme (CoPC)

Finally, the competence of individuals working in the Ex industry needs to be assessed and certified. Early in 2010, IECEx launched the new CoPC (IECEx Certification of Personnel Competence Scheme), which provides companies with independent proof that a person has the qualifications and experience necessary to implement the International Ex Standards. This can be especially important for contracting staff.

To obtain a CoPC, the applicant prepares an application and submits it to an approved IECEx Certification Body. Regular re-assessment also ensures that the certified person main-tains these competencies. The certificate is personal, non-transferable and valid across inter-national borders.


Figure III. Performing electrical testing

IECQ, the IEC quality assessment system for electronic components, provides certification at the international level for a wide variety of electronic components. At present, eight families of components are covered by IECQ:

• Active components, including integrated circuits

• Electromagnetic components

• Electromechanical components

• Electro-optic components

• Hybrid integrated circuits

• Passive components

• Printed boards

• Wires and cables

In addition, it covers the processes and related materials that are used in making electronic components and assemblies. IECQ is continuously expanding to address industry’s needs: hazardous substances and avionics, for example, and, more recently, electrostatic discharge (ESD).

IECQ HSPM

Concern for the environment and the need to eliminate hazardous waste prompted IECQ to devise a new scheme in 2005 to help electronic component suppliers prove that their products comply with the requirement that they are free of hazardous substances. Since then, the IECQ HSPM


(Hazardous Substances Process Management) has grown enormously. Many countries have passed legislation restricting the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products. The European Union Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, commonly known as Restrictions of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), and its Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive took effect in July 2006 and are currently being revised.

Through IECQ HSPM certification, electronic component manufacturers and suppliers can demon-strate that their electrical and electronic components and assemblies meet specific hazardous-substance-free local, national and international requirements.

As with all IECQ certificates, these are recognized in all IECQ member countries and beyond, thus helping to reduce costs and time to market and eliminating the need for multiple testing.

IECQ ECMP

The avionics industry is increasingly dependent on COTS (commercial off-the-shelf ) electronic com-ponents. These are principally mainstream products, designed and manufactured not just for aerospace but for a wide variety of industries. However, the avionics sector, which comprises electronics used in commercial, civil and military aerospace, requires electronic components of particularly high- reliability levels and long life duration.

The avionics industry also has to face the new threat of counterfeit electronic components, especially critical for avionics applications, where reliability and safety requirements are of the utmost importance. To counter this, the IECQ ECMP (Electronic Component Management Plan) provides aircraft manu-facturers with a global assessment and certification of their suppliers.

Online consultation

The certificates issued by all three IEC CA Systems can be consulted online. More information on the IEC and its CA Systems is available at:

www.iec.ch

www.iecee.org

www.iecex.com

www.iecq.org

9

UNIDO’s role in conformity assessment

UNIDO, as the specialized UN agency in industrial development, is implementing a number of projects in developing countries in the area of standards and conformity assessment, particularly in establishing testing and calibration laboratories in different fields, such as legal and industrial metrol-ogy and food and microbiology.

Although UNIDO’s work to date has focused mainly on conformity assessment and inspection meth-odologies related to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards, it recognizes that similar approaches need to be established for electrotechnical and telecommunications-related activities so that developing countries can verify product conformity and be competitive both domesti-cally and internationally in these areas. UNIDO is now expanding its scope to forge systematic cooperation relationships not only with ISO but also with the other two key International Standards bodies, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

UNIDO currently maintains a large project portfolio that covers standards, certification, metrology, testing and accreditation. The approaches to conformity assessment and inspection activities related to ISO, IEC and ITU standards have some common principles, which means that developing countries should be able to develop a common infrastructure or build on one that is already in place. This adoption of a synergistic approach will avoid repetition and inefficient use of resources. There are, however, important conformity assessment differences that, if not properly understood and addressed, can lead to much repetition of effort and inefficient use of resources.

Strong partnerships promise greater effectiveness and sustainability. They enable UNIDO to leverage resources and share its unique expertise. UNIDO will continue to improve its networks and alliances through strategic partnerships and cooperation in the field of energy policy.

UNIDO’s established partnerships in this field include:

• UN-Energy, established to promote UN system-wide collaboration in the area of energy: http://www.un-energy.org/UNIDO Director-General, Kandeh Yumkella, was elected Chair of the group in 2007.

• United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA): UN-DESA pro-vides secretariat services for UN-Energy. UNIDO shares its role as co-convener on technology transfer with UN-DESA: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/index.html?utm_source=redirect&utm_medium= online&utm_campaign=redirect

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC): http://unfccc.int/2860.php

UNFCCC and UNIDO collaborate to provide training-of-trainers workshops on preparing technology transfer projects for financing:http://unfccc.int/ttclear/jsp/TrnDetails.jsp?EN=TrainingTrainer


• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): Together with the IAEA, UNIDO facilitates the Energy Efficiency Cluster of UN-Energy: http://www.iaea.org/

• United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). With the ECA, UNIDO facilitates UN-Energy Africa: http://www.uneca.org/

• UN-Energy and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) secretariat work together to support the countries of West Africa in addressing their energy challenges: http://www.thegef.org/gef/

Online consultation

Further information about UNIDO’s energy-related activities can be found at: UNIDO Energy and Climate Change Branch: http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=1000605

More information about the organization’s activities in the areas of standards and conformity assess-ment is available on the UNIDO Trade Capacity Building Branch website: http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=o51261

11

How to set up an electrical testing laboratory

Key questions

There are two essential questions to address before deciding to set up a testing laboratory:

• Why is it needed? Think carefully about the drivers that are prompting its establishment and what it is intended to achieve. It is relatively easy to convince a donor country or agency to contribute to the setting up of a laboratory, but it must serve a real, identi-fied need.

• Who will look after it once it is set up? Is there a technical infrastructure to support it? Who will maintain it?

Keep in mind that the purpose of testing electrical products, in industrialized as in developing countries, is to protect consumers by ensuring that products are safe.

Which products should the laboratory test?

Following on these fundamental questions comes the issue of which products the laboratory will test. There are several guidelines to follow:

• Investigate the local market: Find out if there is a market need for the products that the labo-ratory proposes to test, what industries are present in the country, and what specific regula-tions the country has in this area. The environment may be totally regulated, or regulations may be entirely nonexistent.

• Begin small: There are so many products on the market today and so many different technologies that it would be difficult for a small new laboratory to perform tests on all of them. It is better to begin with a limited selection of specific products. Once the laboratory is up and running and the staff have gained adequate experience, it can extend its range.

• Refer to the IECEE CB Scheme: To help with the initial selection of products to test, it may be a good idea to use the IECEE CB Scheme product categories. Identifying the product categories that the laboratory will concentrate on will also help determine the number of people needed to do the testing.

• Consider capability limitations: The tests to be performed will also be determined by the equipment that is purchased and the capabilities that are set up.


Figure IV. Voltage testing

Four market scenarios

The testing choices that the laboratory makes will be influenced by four market scenarios:

1. Is there a local market need for a testing laboratory?

2. Is the country’s industry exporting to the rest of the world? This could mean different testing requirements.

3. Is it importing from other countries? Are the testing and certification requirements for these countries different? Has its government established a regulated environment whereby manufactured imports have to have undergone testing prior to being imported?

4. Does it offer such good incentives in finance, tax and know-how that other countries might consider it a place to outsource their own test activities to?

Think long-term

A laboratory will certainly not be profitable in its first years. Long-term planning is needed to set it up from scratch, and external funding will be required for the first few years to cover the inevitable losses that will arise even if the laboratory employs experienced staff. It takes time to become a trusted facility.

Basic rules on setting up an electrical testing laboratory

The basic rules to follow in setting up an electrical testing laboratory are:

• Determine what kind of products, or product categories, are to be tested.

• Find out the standards that deal with these products.

• Check the equipment list that is relevant for the type of products to be tested. A basic list of equipment will be needed.


Staffing levels

A staff of two is the minimum needed to run a testing laboratory: one to do the testing and the other the verifications. The number of staff required will be determined by the number of prod-ucts tested—and the range of electrical products and equipment that may need to be tested is potentially vast, from power plants, transformers, switches and cables to micro amps like pacemakers.

Recruiting staff

Recruiting experienced people is a key to the success of a laboratory. If a country is setting up its first testing laboratory, these experts will have to come from abroad. There are several approaches that can be taken to recruiting staff:

• Look for people who have studied and worked in foreign countries, and who speak English, who will return home and train local staff.

• Hire foreign technical consultants who have experience in running a laboratory and can do the training in English. This may be an advantage because many international standards are in English and the training is also about learning how to read and understand standards.

• Send local staff to a foreign laboratory for training—though this may delay the setting up of the laboratory.

• When hiring local staff, it is essential to recruit people with a basic knowledge of electrical equipment. It may therefore be best to seek technicians or those with an electrician license or training.

Training staff

Staff training is a particularly important issue in developing countries where the lack of industrial infrastructure may mean there is a limited availability of potential recruits with practical knowledge of electrical engineering.

Ongoing training is essential. Technologies are evolving rapidly, and the standards that products must comply with are becoming more and more complex; testing staff must consequently become ever more highly specialized.

• Organize the training of staff. When the equipment is purchased and in place, the staff will need training and instruction on how to use it and how to test products.

• Seek accreditation as soon as the laboratory is up and running.

• Find a partner/mentor laboratory that can give assistance. Through IECEE, the laboratory can participate in peer assessment procedures and gain valuable experience.


Should trainers also be involved in actual testing? If they become fully engaged in testing, they will not have time to train staff and share their knowledge with them. It is therefore very important to define beforehand the amount of time trainers will devote to training and to testing.

Figure V. Lab workers testing PCBs

Test categories

There are three main categories of test that a laboratory may perform:

• Type tests are performed by an accredited testing laboratory on representative samples of the product and are usually destructive. They are comprehensive and comply with relevant standards.

• Routine tests are performed by the manufacturer on each appliance and are non-destructive. They are limited and intended to reveal “unacceptable variations in material of manufacture”.

• Field tests (market surveillance) are performed by inspectors on random samples taken from the market and are limited and non-destructive.

Planning and installing the facilities

In planning and installing the facilities for the laboratory it is important to:

• Choose a suitable location. The laboratory needs to be easily accessible to allow for equip-ment uploading and unloading; it should be within reasonable distance of a highway, train station or airport; and it should not be in a high-rent area.

• Make sure that the owner of the building or the building regulations do not prohibit tests that involve water, fire, dust or heat.


• Ensure that the floors can support heavy loads.

• Have air conditioning to regulate temperatures in summer or in hot climates. A humidifier may also be needed where the climate is dry.

• Ensure that the power supply is reliable. If not, the laboratory should install its own power generators.

• Plan the room layout carefully, including a dedicated test area where tests can be performed in logical sequences. Storage cabinets for test equipment and office desks also need to have specific placement areas.

• Have, if required, a climatic chamber. This is a temperature and humidity chamber where products are placed for 48 hours to see how they react to different climatic conditions. Keep in mind that certain tests are interlinked—some products have to go to the climatic chamber before other tests can be performed.

• Have, if required, a ventilated and insulated area for flammability testing.

Figure VI. Temperature and humidity walk-in chamber

Acquiring equipment

There are several important principles to keep in mind when acquiring and setting up equipment:

• It is essential to buy the right equipment from the start, and this should come with a cali-bration certificate. Future repair and maintenance of the equipment, and 12-month calibra-tion intervals, need to be planned for and included in the laboratory budget.

• It is best to start with a limited amount of equipment to test a limited number of products. It is impossible to do everything from day one. Services can grow when the basics have been acquired and the staff is comfortable handling the equipment and performing the tests. Having a limited amount of equipment to begin with will also make it easier to learn how to use it.

• When the equipment is delivered to the laboratory, it is important to start using it imme-diately. Take it out, read the manual, get the relevant standard and start testing. If it doesn’t work the first time, try again.


• Keep the number of equipment suppliers to a minimum and buy from reputable firms that sell trusted brands. Ideally, the equipment should come from suppliers in the same region.

• Buy most, if not all, of the equipment from one source. This gives the supplier or manu-facturer an incentive to send someone to install the equipment and help with its initial operation.

Establish a quality system: ISO/IEC 17025

A quality system has to be planned from the start. ISO/IEC 17025, General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, contains all of the requirements that testing and cali-bration laboratories have to meet if they wish to demonstrate that they operate a good quality man-agement system, are technically competent, and are able to generate technically valid results.

Accreditation or some other kind of verification such as peer assessment may be required, depending on the type of testing that will be performed by the laboratory.

Scope of ISO/IEC 17025

1.1 This International Standard specifies the general requirements for the competence to carry out tests and/or calibrations, including sampling. It covers testing and calibration performed using standard methods, non-standard methods, and laboratory-developed methods.

1.2 This International Standard is applicable to all organizations performing tests and/or calibrations. These include, for example, first-, second- and third-party laboratories, and laboratories where testing and/or calibration form part of inspection and product certification.

This International Standard is applicable to all laboratories regardless of the number of personnel or the extent of the scope of testing and/or calibration activities. When a laboratory does not undertake one or more of the activities covered by this International Standard, such as sampling and the design/development of new methods, the require-ments of those clauses do not apply.

1.4 This International Standard is for use by laboratories in developing their manage-ment system for quality, administrative and technical operations. Laboratory customers, regulatory authorities and accreditation bodies may also use it in confirming or recogniz-ing the competence of laboratories.

1.6 If testing and calibration laboratories comply with the requirements of this Interna-tional Standard, they will operate a quality management system for their testing and calibration activities that also meets the principles of ISO 9001.

Note 2. If a laboratory wishes accreditation for part or all of its testing and calibration activities, it should select an accreditation body that operates in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011, Conformity assessment—General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies.

(Note: These are selected extracts from the Scope of this International Standard; they do not present the full scope of the standard.)


Partner/mentor laboratory

It is invaluable for a new laboratory to have a partner laboratory that is prepared to be of assistance and that has an emotional and moral involvement in doing so. Some established laboratories are prepared to take on this role—they can see that the partnership will bring long-term mutual benefits, with business flowing both ways—and they can also help with staff training.

A foreign partnering laboratory may also assist with additional tests that require more sophisticated equipment. As the laboratory grows and acquires more equipment, it can, step by step, take over all the testing from the partner laboratory.

International Standards and conformity assessment

The IEC offers new laboratories a number of valuable benefits. Its International Standards are widely used and adopted at the national level in IEC member countries. Countries participating in the IEC Affiliate Country Programme, aimed at developing countries, are entitled to receive 200 free IEC International Standards for national adoption. Using existing standards as a basis can be a great advantage, financially and technically, when setting up a laboratory.

The TRFs (Test Report Forms) in the IECEE CB Scheme can be purchased and downloaded from the IEC Webstore, saving the new laboratory time by allowing it to use existing TRFs from day one.

The IECEE CB Scheme also runs a proficiency programme involving more than 100 laboratories, where each laboratory can compare its performance with the others. All do the same testing. A labora-tory can participate in proficiency testing even before it is fully set up, by starting with a limited number of tests. These comparisons offer a good measure of where the laboratory stands among its peers, and give it the opportunity to develop contacts with IECEE testing laboratories.

Consumer protection legislation

Setting up an electrical testing laboratory in an environment that has no safety or consumer protec-tion legislation only makes sense if the laboratory can initiate a legislative process in the country. The laboratory has to work with governmental agencies, legislators and regulators, explain to them what needs to be done, and have some regulations put in place.

Any scheme to improve consumer safety must always be established on a solid base. The laboratory should find out which products are potentially dangerous, what kind of accidents can happen and any other potential hazards. Fire departments, hospitals, the police and other agencies can often help gather and provide data, although in some countries this type of information is not readily available.

Getting started

When all the preparatory steps have been taken and the products to be tested are defined—preferably a short list of products that are most popular with consumers: fans, heaters, adapters, switches—the work of the laboratory can begin.

Start with market surveillance activities: go out into the market, bring some products back to the laboratory and test them. This will also be a good learning experience for the laboratory’s engineers and technicians.


Market surveillance also helps importers, especially in economies that import most, if not all, of their products. Importers have a duty of care and due diligence for the products they bring into the market but can be hindered by the inadequate documentation they receive from suppliers. Conducting market surveillance is a good way to verify that imports meet safety requirements—and helping importers and dealers improve their products is ultimately beneficial to consumers.

19

An electrical testing laboratory in Bhutan: project needs analysis

Background to the proposed laboratory

The Bhutan Standards Bureau (BSB), Bhutan’s national standards body, established under the Bhutan Standards Act 2010, aims to be a competent and credible standards, metrology and certification body that will serve as an enabler of industrial growth, consumer safety and national wellbeing.

However, BSB does not have an electrical testing laboratory; for product certification, it is dependent on the electrical testing laboratory in the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) region. Recognizing the clear need for such a laboratory in Bhutan, BSB has approached potential donor agencies for assistance.

UNIDO is exploring funding from donors to provide BSB with technical assistance and has drawn up a project proposal for the establishment of an electrical testing laboratory at the BSB headquarters in Thimphu that would strengthen Bhutan’s conformity assessment infrastructure, now one of the Government’s priority areas. By inspecting and testing certain electrical components and products for both the consumer market and the building industry, the laboratory would protect the public from fraudulent trade transactions and enhance public safety.

About Bhutan

Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People’s Republic of China. It has a population of 708,500; its capital is Thimphu.

Bhutan’s economy, one of the world’s smallest and least developed, is based on agricul-ture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for more than 60 per cent of its population. It is closely aligned with India’s economy through strong trade and monetary links and dependence on India’s financial assistance. Most development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor.

Model education, social and environment programmes are underway with support from multilateral development organizations. Each of these programmes takes into account the government’s desire to protect the country’s environment and cultural traditions.

The industrial sector is at a nascent stage and in a technological learning process. Hydro-power exports to India have boosted overall growth, and new hydropower projects will be the driving force behind Bhutan’s ability to create employment and sustain growth in the coming years.


On-site needs analysis by UNIDO conformity assessment expert

In preparation for this project UNIDO, through IECEE, appointed a leading conformity assessment expert in the field of electrical product testing to visit Bhutan and evaluate the situation at BSB. This needs analysis has now been completed.

The consultant’s mandate was to see what the market actually needed, come up with a proposal for equipment and staffing, provide guidance about an appropriate room layout, and develop cost estimates.

Market conditions

The consultant first noted that there was limited infrastructure (roads, transportation, etc.), no industry, no testing laboratories, no consumer protection and no enforcement of relevant legislation.

On a visit to a local market, he observed that Bhutanese consumers can purchase many electrical appliances—rice cookers, toasters, fans, television sets and refrigerators—which are still seen as luxury goods but are becoming more common. But Bhutan is a Least Developed Country; its people have limited purchasing power, and the electrical appliances sold are usually not the latest models.

Very importantly, he recognized that, except for one local cable manufacturer, Bhutan has no electrical industry of any sort. The country imports all its electrical consumer goods from its major trading partner India, from China and from many other countries. Interestingly, some of these products had American plugs, some European and some British. As a result, most power points in the country have adapters, many of these defective and often burnt.

Why is a laboratory needed?

Since Bhutan has no consumer protection agency, the main driver towards establishing a testing labora-tory is the need to improve the safety of products in the market. This would increase consumer protec-tion and allow participation by all stakeholders (importers, dealers, authorities, local industry) in market surveillance activities. A laboratory would benefit local industry and would help importers and dealers provide better products, both industrial and consumer goods. An electrical testing laboratory could become a national centre of excellence and allow the country to be less reliant on outside testing.

What tests should the laboratory perform?

Bhutan has no pre-market approval and no post-market surveillance. To manage the flow of goods into the country and make sure that all products sold meet basic safety requirements, there would need to be premarket approval (before goods reach the market) according to the list of goods that have mandatory or voluntary certification, and this would have to be followed up by post-market surveillance (sample testing once products are on the market). Market surveillance is simple to conduct. There is limited equipment and the products can be sampled from the local market. Quick, non-destructive testing would indicate whether the product is safe or not.

Type testing based on standards, however, is more complex. The laboratory would need to be accredited and properly set up with calibrated equipment. Sample products would have to be received from clients and subjected to tests that are usually both destructive and time consuming.

For Bhutan, as for any other country in the world, the objective in all of this is to prove that products are safe and to increase consumer protection.


What equipment will be needed?

There are several important factors that would have to be taken into account in Bhutan in planning the acquisition of equipment:

• Bhutan is landlocked and, since it has only one international airport, few points of entry into the country and bad roads, access from the rest of the world is difficult. As a result, it is really important to buy the right equipment, complete with calibration certificate, from the start. Flying equipment back and forth because it has not been calibrated would be very expensive.

Figure VII. Another, smaller, climatic chamber

• Future repair and maintenance of the equipment and the 12-month calibration intervals would have to be factored in and included in the laboratory budget.

• A quality system would be needed from day one. By chance, a calibration laboratory is being set up in the same building where BSB plans to have its own laboratory. This laboratory also needs a quality system, so BSB could use a good part of that system.

It is recommended that the laboratory start with a limited amount of equipment and test a limited number of products. Expansion can come at a later stage when the basics have been acquired and the staff is able to handle the equipment and perform the tests. As part of his mission in Bhutan, the consultant has already provided BSB with a list of equipment for their laboratory.

Where should the equipment be purchased?

Obviously, for Bhutan it is very important to limit the number of equipment suppliers, and these should be based in the same region and sell trusted brands. The consultant recommends a supplier based in Singapore, for several reasons:

• Singapore is relatively close to Bhutan.

• The supplier in question works with one of the largest laboratories in the region, also based in Singapore.


• Most of the equipment installed in the Singapore laboratory is identical to the equipment recommended for the BSB laboratory.

• The Singapore laboratory says it is willing to help BSB not only to set up the laboratory but also to accompany them in its development—it would be the partner/mentor laboratory that BSB needs.

Hiring staff

It is recommended that hiring priority be given to people skilled in repairing equipment. Like other developing countries, Bhutan has a relatively strong repair industry—nothing is thrown away. Those working in this industry may not yet know how to read a standard, but they know how equipment works. Since standards are often not easy to understand, and IEC International Standards, written in English, are particularly difficult, practical experience in such a technical background would be an advantage for new staff members.

The laboratory room

BSB has already identified the room that would host their laboratory, and has been advised by the consultant on a number of key requirements:

• The room has to be kept in pristine condition because test equipment is ultra-sensitive.

• Since the space allocated for the laboratory is fairly small, the layout of the room has to be given special thought.

• A dedicated test area has to be organized so that all tests are performed in logical sequence.

• Office desks and cabinets should be installed for storing test equipment.

• Air conditioning is needed to regulate humidity, since Bhutan can become very cold.

• A climatic chamber may be required to perform some of the tests, and also a ventilated and insulated area for flammability testing.

• The laboratory will need its own back-up power supply that can take over when there are power cuts.

Standards and test reports

The consultant has made several recommendations on standards and test reports:

• Use IEC International Standards. Through BSB, Bhutan participates in the IEC Affiliate Country Programme and is therefore entitled to receive 200 free IEC International Standards, which can be adopted at national level. And if, for a specific product, there is no IEC International Standard—for some adapters, for example—BSB can rely on Indian standards or the British standards that India uses.

• Use the existing IECEE TRFs (Test Report Forms) that can be purchased from the IEC Webstore. BSB can buy those it needs from the IEC and use them for its own reports. Relying on existing documents, whether IEC International Standards or IECEE TRFs, will save time and money.


• Participate in the IECEE CB Scheme proficiency programme. This offers a good measure of where a laboratory stands among its peers and provides an opportunity to develop contacts with IECEE testing laboratories around the world.

Getting started

In Bhutan, the electrical industry consists of one manufacturer of electric cables, with a test facility within the factory. Partnership with this manufacturer would bring BSB the benefit of their knowledge and experience, and possibly the use of equipment that BSB does not have. The manufacturer may also be able to perform some of the tests that are required, on behalf of BSB.

Legislation/enforcement

To set up an electrical testing laboratory in an environment that has no safety or consumer protection legislation has no purpose. BSB will have to work with governmental agencies, legislators and regula-tors to explain what needs to be done and to put regulations in place.

Conclusion

Setting up an electrical testing laboratory is a learning process, and dialogue with all stakeholders (government, regulators, local industry, importers, suppliers, dealers, etc.) is essential to explain the introduction of standards and testing.

Since it is impossible to control the whole market from day one, BSB should select one product, possibly circuit breakers, which it regards as important, and make the testing of this product to the relevant standard mandatory. All circuit breakers would have to be formally approved before they could be placed on the market.

Other products may be subjected to voluntary testing to start with, and suppliers informed if their products do not comply with standards, and required to take any necessary measures to improve them. If the quality of the products does not improve enough, the testing should become mandatory.

Fully establishing a testing laboratory is a long process but eventually the proposed BSB testing labo-ratory could make a difference in Bhutan. It could bring safety to the population, help government agencies develop consumer protection legislation and, in the longer term, help the development of the local electrical industry.

25

Electrical laboratory accreditation in Pakistan*

The Electrical Measurement and Test Laboratory (EMTL)

The Electrical Measurement and Test Laboratory (EMTL) at the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) Laboratories Complex, Lahore, provides testing services to the exporters and importers of selected electrical products; it evaluates their performance and safety requirements in accordance with relevant internationally harmonized standards. Its major facilities include:

• The Domestic Electrical Appliance Test Laboratory: equipped to test fans, washing machines, evaporated air coolers and other electrical appliances.

• The Electrical Accessories Test Laboratory: tests low voltage cables and other electrical accessories.

• The Lighting Product Test Laboratory: tests various types of lamps, ballasts and luminaries.

• The Mechanical and Environmental Test Laboratory: performs various relevant tests on electrical appliances, accessories and lighting products.

Figure VIII. Testing an electrical fan

*The support to EMTL was part of a €2.5 million EU-funded large-scale programme, Trade-related Technical Assistance (TRTA), conducted in Pakistan during 2004 to 2009.


Under the first phase of the EU-funded Trade-Related Technical Assistance (TRTA) Programme imple-mented by UNIDO, EMTL achieved ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation by the Norwegian Accreditation (NA) in 2007 and by the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) in 2010. The testing of electric fans and electric cables is included in the current scope of accreditation. It is planned to get accredited testing services for light source products under the EU-TRTA II Programme; the prepara-tion work is already underway.

Main business opportunities for an electrical laboratory

A number of manufacturers in Pakistan export the following domestic electrical appliances and acces-sories to different countries in the world:

• Electric fans

• Room air coolers

• Refrigerators and freezers

• Electric door bells

• Domestic water pumps

• Energy meters

• Rock salt lamps

• Lamp holders, etc.

EMTL is also conducting compliance verification for a variety of imported electric items as requested by customers; these are mostly light source products, including lamps, ballasts and luminaries.

In addition, EMTL provides testing services to local manufacturers and public and private sector organizations and to internationally recognized product inspection and certification bodies involved in the pre-shipment compliance of export consignments from Pakistan.

EMTL’s main business opportunities therefore relate to the testing of locally manufactured electrical products for export, and the testing of imported products for consumer safety. International recogni-tion of the accuracy of EMTL testing services is an indispensable pre-requisite for the conducting of these testing services.

Since it received international accreditation, the demand for EMTL’s testing services has greatly increased, allowing it to better serve both exporting industries and local consumers while at the same time maintaining its sustainability and increasing its income generation through testing fees.

Specific case of CE marking and the need for electrical testing

The CE Mark is recognized as a tool that allows products to be accepted for sale in the EU market and other countries by confirming that the products meet the consumer safety requirements of these countries for electrical and electronic products. It ensures that the products comply with the require-ments of safety standards as per the relevant EU Directives. As one of the major exporters of electric fans to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, UAE, Kuwait, Dubai, United Kingdom and other countries, Pakistan needs an accredited laboratory where its manufacturers and exporters can test their electrical products and have them certified to the globally recognized CE Mark.


The existing facilities at EMTL only cover Low Voltage Directive (LVD) and not the Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) tests for various electrical/electronic products required for manufacturers/export-ers to achieve the CE Mark as per the international requirements for specific electrical/electronic products. A detailed feasibility study to establish EMC test facilities at EMTL has therefore been developed from the EU-TRTA II programme.

Processes involved in achieving international recognition through accreditation

EMTL achieved the milestone of accreditation through the following processes:

• Establishment of physical facilities for testing electrical products;

• Selection of test equipment as required;

• In-house training of laboratory staff on test methods and conformity assessment;

• Provision of expertise by UNIDO for gap analysis and the preparation of quality and techni-cal manuals in consultation with the laboratory management;

• Foreign training of a quality manager and a technical manager at an accredited laboratory;

• Finalization of laboratory documents and removal of gaps;

• Participation in proficiency testing (PT) and Inter-Laboratory Comparison (ILC);

• Internal competency assessment of test operators and associated laboratory staff;

• Achievement of accreditation.

Benefits of accreditation

The benefits of EMTL’s achievement of accreditation can be summarized as:

• Global acceptance of its test reports;

• Recognition of its services by the internationally recognized Product Inspection and Certi-fication Bodies, including BV, SGS, TUV NORD, ITS, etc.;

• An increasing trend in its annual business/services of approximately 40 per cent due to its achievement of accreditation.

• The number of its clients increased by 75 per cent due to confidence building and the authenticity of its test results.

• In the absence of an accredited laboratory, the fans and other electrical products were usually sent for testing to accredited electrical testing laboratories in Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and other countries. This involved huge expenses for the manufacturers/exporters in testing fees and the cost of dispatching test samples—and, where a product was found non-compliant, the same process had to be repeated.

• Now the presence of an accredited electrical test laboratory in Pakistan has reduced the overall conformity assessment costs for export products such as fans by approximately 50–60 per cent.


Lalith GoonatilakeDirectorUNIDO Trade Capacity Building BranchVienna International Centre,Wagramerstr. 5, P.O. Box 300, A-1400 Vienna, AustriaTel: +43 (1) 26026-3693, Fax: +43 (1) 26026-6840E-mail: [email protected]

Ouseph PadickakudiProject ManagerUNIDO Trade Capacity Building BranchVienna International Centre,Wagramerstr. 5, P.O. Box 300, A-1400 Vienna, AustriaTel: +43 (1) 26026-4618, Fax: +43 (1) 26026-6840E-mail:[email protected]

Website: www.unido.org

Francoise RauserIEC Affiliate Country Programme Executive Secretary3, rue de Varembé, P.O. Box 131,CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland Tel: + 41 22 919 02 84, Fax: +41 22 919 03 00Email: [email protected]

Gabriela EhrlichHead of Communications at IEC3, rue de Varembé, P.O. Box 131, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland Tel: + 41 22 919 02 78, Fax: +41 22 919 03 00Email:[email protected]

Website: www.iec.ch

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION

Commission Electrotechnique InternationaleInternational Electrotechnical Commission

Printed in AustriaV.12-55127—October 2012—1,000

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONVienna International Centre, P.O. Box 300, 1400 Vienna, AustriaTelephone: (+43-1) 26026-0, Fax: (+43-1) 26926-69E-mail: [email protected], Internet: www.unido.org

Setting up an electrical testing laboratory in a developing country

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