RoHS Now Applies to Industrial Control Devices

The European RoHS II Directive (2011/65/EU) regulates requirements for hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). As of July 22, 2017, these requirements also apply to industrial monitoring and control instruments. The temporary exceptions expire on this date, DEKRA experts warn.

Manufacturers and importers of monitoring and control instruments for industrial applications should therefore ensure that all parts that are used comply with the RoHS requirements in the future. The requirements comprise in particular compliance with limits for the heavy metals lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium as well as flame retardants PBB and PBDE.

The limits always refer to the homogeneous material, which means that they also apply to coatings, for example. In addition, the manufacturer or importer must prepare an RoHS declaration of conformity. When compiling the technical documentation, they should use DIN EN 50581 as a basis and develop appropriate compliance processes.

Some products are still exempt from RoHS, as numerous product-specific and substance-specific exceptions continue to apply. In cases of doubt, the DEKRA experts recommend consulting an expert to check whether the exceptions apply.

DEKRA has provided consulting services and laboratory analyses to support companies with the implementation of the RoHS Directive for more than ten years.

Contacts for technical questions:

DEKRA Assurance Services
Jochen Dettke, tel.: +49 711 7861 2703

DEKRA laboratory for environmental and product analysis
Martti Haas, tel.: +49 711 7861 2296,