30 Sep 2011

Ottawa, Canada – Intertek (www.intertek.com), the leading provider of quality and safety services to a wide range of industries, is supporting companies who need to comply with the recently expanded scope of the European Union’s updated RoHS Directive (2011/65/EU) and other restricted substance requirements.

Changes to the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, also known as RoHS 2, will affect all electronic products currently covered under the existing RoHS Directive and also expand the scope of products covered in a transitional timetable. The scope of the EU RoHS Directive has broadened to include: medical devices and monitoring and control instruments, including in vitro diagnostic medical devices, industrial monitoring and control equipment, and some other electrical and electronic equipment (e.g. toys) are now covered under RoHS 2.

RoHS 2 has increased enforcement powers of designated authorities and recent compliance activities for this EU Directive have increased EU-level scrutiny of RoHS compliance. Breach of RoHS regulations may result in fines, damage to brand and sales from the forced withdrawal of products from the EU market.

Effective January 2013, the updated RoHS Directive will require CE marking and declaration of conformity. Before placing a product covered by the RoHS Directive on the market, a manufacturer/importer/distributor must ensure that the appropriate conformity assessment procedure has been carried out and affix the CE marking on the finished product. RoHS 2 also now requires companies to maintain a ‘reasonable’ testing programme for their assessment process, and to be able to evidence this.

Intertek supports companies with outsourced testing and compliance solutions for RoHS and provides comprehensive consulting to develop, manage, and maintain a reasonable testing program. Elements of a reasonable testing program include identification of applicable requirements, Compliance Assurance Process implementation, supplier data collection, and product screening and testing based upon a GAP analysis and Risk Assessment to address Reasonable Testing Program requirement

”The European Union and other countries continue to expand their initiatives for safer products”, comments Dr. Ruud Overbeek, Vice President of Intertek’s Global Health and Environmental Services, “This includes insuring a proper process is in place creating reasonable testing programs – both for the manufacturers and their suppliers. Intertek supports businesses by insuring their products meet these expanding requirements and all other global health and environmental requirements in time”.

Intertek and Olympus Innov-X will present a free 1 hour webinar on October 13, 2011 reviewing the compliance requirements and options for reasonable testing programs to demonstrate compliance to the updated EU RoHS Directive and other restricted substance requirements. This webinar will also cover use of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) screening for restricted elements and how XRF fits into a reasonable testing program. To register, please visit: https://www.intertek.com/events/2011/rohs2-testing-program-webinar/

For more information on Intertek’s RoHS Services, please visit: https://www.intertek.com/rohs.


Contacts
For further information, please contact

Joel Pekay
Global Sales and Marketing Director
Telephone: 312-906-7716
Email: joel.pekay@intertek.com

rohs@intertek.com
www.intertek.com/rohs



About Intertek Health & Environment Services (www.intertek.com/green)
Intertek Health & Environment Services offers complete solutions addressing global, regional, and local compliance and chemical safety. We develop sound traceability systems and help with implementation of company specific policies. Intertek does more than simply help our clients comply, we give them the competitive advantage they desire. Our comprehensive health and environmental solutions cover Restricted Substances, REACH, California Proposition 65, Global Chemical Notification, Food Safety and Greenhouse Gas management. Services include strategy consulting, regulatory and product safety consulting, testing and analysis, legal representation, certification, supply chain management, scientific research, and corporate education appropriate for all types and levels of business. We deliver solutions to meet our customers' needs in managing their products in today's complex global marketplace.

About Intertek (www.intertek.com)
Intertek is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers' products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 30,000 people in more than 100 countries around the world.

About Olympus Innov-X (http://www.olympus-ims.com/en/xrf-xrd/delta-handheld/delta-consumer/)
Olympus Innov-X, formerly Innov-X Systems, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA, is a leading manufacturer of portable and specialized X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analytical instruments. Olympus Innov-X develops and manufactures instruments providing real-time, nondestructive material analysis in applications ranging from metal sorting, lead paint detection, and alloy verification to analysis of oil, fluids, and minerals, and more.