US Field Inspections & Canada Special Inspections

What’s in a Field Label? Exporting machinery to the U.S. and Canada

The huge North American market is one that most manufacturers dream of tapping into yet, exporting equipment there can be a tricky process to negotiate. With a variety of standards to meet and electrical laws to abide by, selling machinery to customers in the United States and Canada requires something of a unique approach.

What is a Field Label?

Throughout the United States and Canada, there are local electrical safety requirements. Since each Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) has the freedom to introduce its own electrical safety requirements, this means there could be numerous requirements for a single product, depending on where it is used or sold.

A Field Label is an indication that a product or piece of machinery has met the electrical and safety codes and standards for a specific jurisdiction – but unlike the CE mark in Europe, it is not a manufacturer self-declaration. A National Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) like TÜV SÜD are generally accepted to apply the field label.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

In many cases, local jurisdictions will not allow unlabeled equipment to be installed or used at manufacturing and commercial sites within their communities. Manufacturers with equipment which is in conflict with local electrical laws may not be allowed to use their equipment or, worse still, may even be fined and/or shut down by the Occupational Safety and Health Organisation (OSHA).

As such, it’s incredibly important that any products you are planning to export to the U.S. or Canada carry the appropriate accreditation for the region they will be used in.

What equipment does it apply to?

There are a range of scenarios involving electrical machinery in which field evaluation is applicable: from one-of-a-kind equipment, to existing equipment being relocated to a new facility, or to new or used equipment purchased without proper certification.

The full list of equipment which will need to comply with the local safety requirements is as follows:

• Custom-built equipment for special applications
• Equipment manufactured on a non-repetitive basis
• Equipment sold in limited quantities
• Equipment not obtainable as "Certified" under a regular certification programme
• Equipment already installed and awaiting acceptance by the regulatory authorities
• Complete systems or subassemblies
• Field-evaluated equipment that has been relocated
• Listed equipment that has been modified

How can we help you?

Since the requirements for a Field Label are unique to each municipal jurisdiction, finding a testing organisation with specific knowledge of each area will make gaining compliance a much simpler task. With decades worth of U.S. expertise to call on, TÜV SÜD could be just the answer.

Safety and performance: TÜV SÜD provides field evaluation and Field Label services for the electrical safety of machinery, medical devices, IT equipment, laboratory test and measurement equipment, complete systems and assemblies as well as most other types of equipment in most jurisdictions throughout the United States and Canada. Our expert engineers will provide on-site evaluation of your equipment, covering areas such as component and construction evaluation as well as basic safety testing to required standards.

Range of expertise:TÜV SÜD can evaluate to a wide range of relevant safety standards, including most UL, NFPA, ASTM, ASME and ANSI certifications. Some of the most common standards we assess for are:

• NFPA 79 Safety of Industrial Machinery
• UL 60950 Safety of Information Technology Equipment
• UL 508A Safety of Industrial Control Panels
• UL 987 Safety of Electric Tools
• UL 73 Safety of Motor-Operated Appliances
• UL 2601-1 Safety of Medical Electric Equipment
• ANSI B93.18 - Standard for Safety of Oil Reservoirs
• ASME ANSI B30-2 - Standard for Safety of Overhead and Gantry Trains
• ANSI/ASME B20.1 - Standard for Safety of Conveyor Systems
• OSHA 1926-555 - Standard for Safety of Conveyor Systems
• ANSI MH 29.1 - Standard for Safety of Scissor-type Lift Tables
• OSHA 1926.1052/1053 - Safety of Ladders, Stairs and Walkways
• NFPA 70 - National Electric Code

We’ll highlight potential hazard areas for improved product safety to reduce risk and give you peace of mind against potential litigation.

Recognized facilities: TÜV SÜD America Inc. and TÜV SÜD Product Service GmbH are Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NTRLs). This means our facilities are independently judged as meeting the highest standards of electrical safety testing and field evaluation services, helping you to export with confidence throughout the United States.

Quicker compliance: The TÜV SÜD Field Label is widely recognised by AHJs, resulting in a smoother and faster approval process for equipment. TÜV SÜD ’s experts also perform on-site field assessment evaluations to NFPA, UL, ANSI and CSA requirements, assisting with compliance to OSHA requirements for listing and labelling of equipment.