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RoHS compliance and testing services test a manufacturer’s products for restricted or hazardous substances and certify compliance with RoHS or WEEE standards. Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) is a European Union (EU) directive that requires all manufacturers of electronic and electrical equipment sold in Europe to demonstrate that their products contain only minimal levels of the following hazardous substances: lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl and polybrominated diphenyl ether. RoHS became effective on July 1, 2006. RoHS compliance and testing services that ensure WEEE compliance may review how producers finance these activities, and verify that retailers and distributors provide a way for consumers to return used or obsolete equipments without charge.
RoHS compliance and testing services test for restricted, toxic or hazardous substances within both products and processes. They perform many different auditing, assessment, certification, chemical analysis, consulting, training, evaluation, inspection, testing and simulation activities. Quality audits or assessments are an independent evaluation of a company's quality assurance (QA) processes and procedures. Certification services verify that a manufacturer’s products, parts, services, processes, and quality system comply with or conform to industrial, OEM-specific or third-party standards. Some RoHS compliance and testing services provide field evaluations or on-site inspections at the manufacturer’s facility, or at the site of the supplier’s activity. Others specialize in pre-assessment and gap analysis in order to identify corrective actions that need to be taken in order to achieve RoHS compliance or attain certification.
RoHS compliance and testing services differ in terms of applications and approvals. Some services test appliances, aerospace and avionics components, automotive parts, battery or energy products, building and construction materials, coatings and paints, motors and control systems, and solder. Others test instruments, sensors, semiconductors, and integrated circuits (IC). RoHS compliance and testing services that evaluate radio frequency (RF) and wireless components are commonly available. Approvals for RoHS compliance and testing services include: ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025. Notified body (NB) or competent body (CB) accreditation indicates that a laboratory meets product testing requirements according to SWEDAC, EN, ISO, ISO/IEC or other European organizations and standards bodies.
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