Brazil: New INMETRO Ordinance – INMETRO certification for household and similar electrical appliances

 

Brazil has published the INMETRO Ordinance 148 of 2022 (Portaria INMETRO Nº 148 DE 28/03/2022) which contains consolidated technical requirements for electrical household appliances.

In accordance with the Ordinance, household appliances and similar, object of this Regulation, must be manufactured, imported, distributed and commercialized, in a way that they do not offer risks that compromise the safety of the user.

All products in scope must undergo the INMETRO conformity assessment described in the Ordinance, with two possible assessment procedures:

1. a) Certification Model 5: Initial Assessment consisting of tests on samples taken at the manufacturer, including an Audit of the Quality Management System – SGQ, followed by a periodic Maintenance Assessment through product sample collection at the factory and in the trade, alternately, to carry out conformity assessment activities, and audit the QMS; or
2. b) Certification Model 1b – Batch Test.

The standards referenced in the Ordinance are predominantly those from the IEC 60335 (Household and similar electrical appliances) family.

The list of products in scope can be found in the item 1 of Annex III (in total 88 product categories).  Appliances not intended for normal domestic use, but which nevertheless may be a source of danger to the public, such as appliances intended for use by laypeople in shops, light industry and on farms, are within the scope.

Products that perform a function similar to that of household appliances described in Table 1 are covered by this regulation, even if they have different trade names from those described therein.

The item 2 Of Annex III contains a list of products which are exempted from the INMETRO certification.  It total, there are 76 products on this list.

The Ordinance prescribes a Conformity Identification Seal that must be affixed to the product and the packaging of each electrical appliance, and which must be legible and indelible and be at least 50 mm long.

The Ordinance will enter into force on May 2, 2022.  As of the effective date of the Ordinance, manufacturers and importers must adopt in new certification processes for household appliances and similar, the conditions and layout of the Conformity Identification Seal according to Annex II of the Ordinance.