Is the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) only required to be placed on “in-scope” electrical equipment (i.e. level 1, 2 or 3)?
Answer:
The RCM is regulated under two legal frameworks:
- Electrical Equipment Safety Equipment (EESS) which focuses on electrical safety.
- Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), which governs telecoms, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), radio and Electromagnetic Emissions (EME).
Indeed, for electrical safety, the RCM is mandatory only for in-scope levels 1, 2 and 3 equipment.
Example: a mobile phone is not in-scope for EESS, however it still requires the RCM under ACMA rules due to its telecoms, EMC, RF and EME.
USB powered devices: if a device does not have telecom or radio interfaces it still radiates electromagnetic emissions and RCM will be required under EMC rules.
Risk categories under EMC
The EMC labelling notice has low, medium and high-risk categories.
Low risk devices without radio modules may not need to comply with EMC labelling.
If the device has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or other radio interfaces it must carry the RCM to meet ACMA’s radio and EME standards.
In summary, almost all electrical/electronic products are required to carry the RCM label, with some exceptions for certain low risk equipment.
For more information contact us at comtest@comtest.com.au or call +61 (0) 3 9645 5933.
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