The CE label
Today it is common to see CE labelling
on various products. The CE label means that the manufacturer or
importer guarantees that the product conforms to the European
requirements. The product comes with a Declaration of Conformity that
states, which standards the product have been tested to. CE labelling is
not in itself a guarantee of quality, but explains that minimum demands
have been met. Most Glamox products have third party certification,
which means that an independent body has tested the products in
accordance with the current product standards.
Product norms
Standardisation
of product norms has been one of the EU’s most important goals, and not
only for lighting. The IEC (International Electro-technical
Commission), via its national sub-committees, which instigates the
various norms. These are then sent for voting before finally being
approved by CENELEC (European Committee for Electro-technical
Standardisation). Each is thus defined as a European Norm (EN) before it
becomes a national standard (BS-EN). For light fittings there are a
number of standards to be complied with. The general product norm is
called EN 60598-1 and the various versions then have the designation EN
60598-2-xx.
Product norms are largely concerned with user safety
and are as such no criteria of quality in themselves. Individual product
norms must however include criteria from installation and maintenance
standards that concern user safety. Some examples of this are the
product standard for emergency lighting (EN 60598-2-22) and the product
standard for road lighting (EN 60598-2-3).
Product standards also refer to other standards, which might cover vital components used in the product for example.