Saudi Arabia : New technical regulations for various product categories

 

Saudi Arabia has recently published updates of several technical regulations.  Among them are:

• Technical Regulation for Escalators and Moving Walkways
• Technical Regulations for devices that operate with gas and accessories.
• Technical regulation for motorcycles
• Technical Regulation for Cableway Installations
• Technical regulation for Paper and board
• Technical Regulation for Packaging
• Technical Regulation for Building Materials
• Technical Regulation on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment
• Technical Regulation for Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres
• Technical Regulation for simple pressure vessels
• Technical Regulation for Electric Personal Mobility Devices
• Technical Regulation for General Requirements for Machinery Safety
• Technical Regulations for Communications and Information Technology Equipment

The goal of the updates is to align the provisions of the Technical Regulations with the recently issued Product Safety Law.  Especially, the lists of referenced standards and the standard publication policy are updated.

With reference to Article 17 (Clause 3) of the Product Safety Law, which specifies what must be included in technical regulations, including “reference to Saudi, national, regional, or international specifications,” the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) issues this unified list of specifications related to the implementation of the technical regulation for packaging products. The goal is to identify the specifications approved by the organization as a technical reference to meet the basic requirements of the regulation, taking into account the following:

• The specifications included in the lists are considered approved technical references, and compliance with their requirements is considered evidence of the products’ conformity with the basic requirements of the technical regulations.
• Adherence to the specifications listed is considered the best and most reliable way to demonstrate conformity, as these specifications enjoy official recognition and are direct evidence of conformity.
• Manufacturers are permitted to adopt alternative technical solutions to the specifications mentioned in the lists, provided that the Authority approves the solutions presented to prove the products’ conformity with the basic requirements mentioned in the technical regulations.
• The lists are subject to periodic review and updating to ensure its compatibility with technical developments and innovations at the national and international levels.
• When a new specification is issued that replaces a previous specification, or when an amendment or an existing specification is withdrawn/cancelled, the Authority updates the lists to reflect these changes.
• Any updates or amendments to this list will be officially announced through publication in the Official Gazette of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and approved official platforms. The economic operator is responsible for following up on updates to this list.

To find out more about product compliance in Saudi Arabia and the SASO conformity assessment, do not hesitate to contact the Product Compliance Institute.