North American Hazloc Listing

Testing and Assessment for North American Hazardous Location

For North American Hazardous Location (Hazloc) approval testing is carried out against the relevant UL and/or CSA listed standard for your product type. This type of testing can only be conducted by an approved test body (NRTL or SCC approval laboratory). ExVeritas is an audited and approved third party test laboratory which entitles ExVeritas to conduct testing in the UK for North American certification under the NRTL and SCC schemes and our agreements with National Certification Bodies.
Products requiring Hazardous Area Hazloc listing in North America are also required to meet general industrial safety standards such as UL61010. This is not self-certification as it is in Europe under CE Marking and can require a significant amount of test and assessment. There are also two codes running in parallel in North America, so listing can be to the old (but still widely used) NEC500 system (i.e. Division 1 or Division 2) or the new NEC505 system which is very similar to the IEC system (Zone 0, 1 and 2 as used by ATEX and IEC).
If you are new to North American Certification and have not designed your equipment to UL and or CSA standards we would suggest that you start with a design review to ensure that you are starting the right project and know what to expect. We can normally complete this review within a couple of weeks and it can save you a great deal of time and money.

Click here for more information on our Ex Certification Review service

Hazloc Certification Information

 

Accessing the United States (US) and Canadian market, quickly and legally, is a key driver for many ExVeritas Clients. Proving electrical safety will satisfy the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the main federal agency charged with the enforcement of safety and health legislation in the US, and is an essential and mandatory part of accessing these markets.
The United States uses ‘NRTL’s  (Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory) as we use Notified Bodies in Europe. In 1970, Congress created OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration – to “assure as far as possible every working man and woman in the nation safe and healthful working conditions.” In the same year, OSHA published its regulation 1910.308(d) stating the electrical equipment would be held acceptable “if it is accepted or certified, or listed, or labeled or otherwise determined to be safe, by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL)’
ExVeritas is an audited and approved third party test laboratory with MET Lab who are an NRTL, this entitles ExVeritas to conduct testing in the UK for MET certification under the NRTL and SCC schemes.

Hazloc Factory Production Control

For all certification under the NRTL or SCC schemes, evidence of a controlled factory production line is required. Having ISO 9001 approval is not mandatory for certification however this will help the process. The inspections are product and manufacturing based but may also require some inspection of your company’s quality management system.

 

Testing and assessment for North American Hazardous Location ‘offshore’

ExVeritas is a U.S. Coast Guard accepted independent laboratory for testing electrical equipment for hazardous locations offshore in North America. ExVeritas IECEx Certification may be used to gain direct access to offshore markets in North American waters. Controlled factory production is via unit verification or IECEx QAR.

U.S. Coast Guard has determined that ExVeritas meets the requirements set forth in Title 46 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 159. The facilities of ExVeritas are recognized to certify electrical equipment for hazardous locations as set forth in 46 CFR Subparts 111.105, 111.106 and 111.108. In addition, The U.S. Coast Guard will recognize ExVeritas certifications to the following standards: IEC 60079-0, IEC 60079-1, IEC 60079-2, IEC 60079-5, IEC 60079-6, IEC 60079-7, IEC 60079-11, IEC 60079-13, IEC 60079-15, IEC 60079-18 and IEC 60079-25.

ExVeritas can be found on the Coast Guard Maritime Information Exchange (CGMIX) website.  

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