Low-voltage Directive correctly applied: These requirements result for your CE-compliant product

The revised version of the Low Voltage Directive is 2014/35/EU dated 26 February 2014 and will apply from 20 April 2016. EU legislation requires that the applicable health and safety standards for electrical products placed on the EU internal market be uniform.

Products that meet the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive are provided with a CE marking to indicate conformity and approval in the European Community.

Unlike industrial, military and scientific applications where high voltage is often used, LVD is applied to electrical equipment that operates with an input or output voltage that is in the following range

• Between 50 and 1000 V for AC
• Between 75 and 1500 V for direct current

Low voltage is defined as the range between high voltage and low voltage. High voltage is over 1000 V for AC and at least 1500 V for DC, see below:

• AC adapters; such as adapters for laptops, mobile phones, printers, home appliances and travel adapters, etc.
• Electrical cables and wires; such as shielded, twisted, fiber optic, coaxial and ribbon cables, etc.
• Lighting products; such as LED, ceiling, stage, building exterior and vehicle lighting, etc.
• Household appliances; such as refrigerators, coffee makers, toasters, blenders, microwaves, electric cookers, vacuum cleaners and hair dryers, etc.
• Also, any replaceable part of household appliances and electrical components such as switchgear, ballasts, electric motors and generators must be compliant so that the final product still complies with the LVD for safety reasons.
• Audio and video equipment; such as amplifiers, projectors, light reflectors, microphones, DVD players and tape recorders, etc.

Excluded from the scope of the LVD are certain classes of electronic devices listed in Annex II to the Directive.

These product classes do not fall within the scope of the Low Voltage Directive, but are covered by other technical standards or regulations. These products include:

• Medical devices (medical products are also subject to CE marking, but not according to the Low Voltage Directive)
• Electricity meters,
• Railway or marine equipment,
• TV remotes and RC toys as well as electrical plugs and sockets for home use.

These products fall under either 50V ac or above 1000v ac and are therefore excluded from the LVD.

The Low Voltage Directive adopts the definitions of IEC standards for their applicability. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and its national counterparts (IET, IEEE, VDE, etc.)

To fully understand the scope of the Low Voltage Directive, some understanding of low and high voltage electrical products is required.

Low voltage or high voltage is a relative term in electrical engineering. It varies in relation to the risk arising from and connected to an electrical equipment. The risk associated with electrical equipment can be divided into three stages, namely:

• small risk
• electric shock
• electric arc

High voltage refers to an electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage from electric arcs. The devices carrying high voltage ensure special safety requirements.

Low voltage circuits are defined by electrical safety regulations and are exempt from the safety precautions required for high voltage. However, these electrical safety regulations vary by country, regulation and other regulations.

The CE marking of products covered by the Low Voltage Directive is in some cases with additional markings such as WEEE-Marking or the Wheelmark symbol. On the European Commission’s website, you can find a list of product types that require CE marking.

• LVD (Low voltage directive),
• EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive),
• RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances-Directive),
• Ecodesign Directive,
• Energy Labelling Directive,
• ATEX directive,
• WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment),
• Battery and Accumulator Directive.

There are several EU directives that require CE marking and each of these directives has its own specific requirements for the corresponding devices and therefore needs to be reviewed and applied accordingly. The CE marking indicates compliance with as many directives as applied at the time of the declaration of conformity. To determine which Directive(s) could be applicable(s), it is necessary to understand the requirements of an applicable harmonized standard for the product concerned. Harmonized standards can be identified by searching the "Official Journal" on the European Commission’s website.

• Manufacturer or distributor checks the product-specific requirements resulting from the directive
• The manufacturer or distributor then identifies further applicable directives and, above all, harmonized standards.
• The next step is to analyze whether a conformity assessment by a notified body is required.
• The product is tested for conformity.
• The required technical documentation is prepared and made available for documentation
• The CE marking is affixed and the EU declaration of conformity is issued.

• First, CE marking is sometimes applied to products that do not meet legal requirements.
• Secondly, it is applied to products for which it is not necessary. For example, the E-mark is an EU mark for registered vehicles and vehicle parts sold in the EU and may not be otherwise identified. Similarly, the Maritime Equipment Directive (MED) requires the Wheelmark symbol and not the CE marking.

The competent authorities of the Member States, in cooperation with the European Commission, take control measures for the incorrect presentation of the CE marking. These measures range from fines to forced withdrawal of the product to imprisonment, depending on severity and local national legislation.

For example, in the United Kingdom, the misuse of the CE mark under Section 1 of the Trade Descriptions Act (1968 Trade Descriptions Act) is considered to be "Selling a product bearing a CE mark that is not so approved or outside the scope of the approval is a specific criminal offence."

In the EU, military equipment is defined in a "list of 1958" and includes all military electronic devices, but offers no exception in itself. Only Article 346 of the TFEU provides a legal but limited exemption from EU market rules. An EC document states that this exemption under Article 346 must be carefully examined on a case-by-case basis and can only be carried out by the national authorities.

In addition, the Low Voltage Directive is one of the specific directives which are not exempt, as the European Commission declared on 23 April 2012 in relation to military equipment and ordered that equipment which falls within the scope of the radio and telecommunication terminal equipment that are subject to electromagnetic compatibility and the low-voltage directive, must be compliant and bear the CE marking.

• EN60204-1 for the safety of electrical machines.
• EN 61010-1 for safety requirements for electrical measuring, control and laboratory equipment

The risk assessment as defined in the Machinery Directive is a good example of a process that can also be applied to electrical equipment.