Certification Introduction

      SAA is the abbreviation for Standards Association of Australia, Australia’s standards-setting body. In 1999, it was restructured into a limited company named Standards Australia International Limited (SAI). SAI is an independent stock company with no direct ties to the government.

      Australian certification is commonly referred to as SAA certification. In fact, SAA is only a standards developer and does not issue product certification certificates. There are currently 43 authorised certification bodies to handle applications; a partial list is shown below:

1、Office of Fair Trading, New South Wales

2、2.Department of Industrial Relations, Queensland

3、The Office of the Chief Electrical Inspector, Victoria

4、SAA Approval Pty Ltd

5、Office of Energy Policy, South Australia

6、Office of Energy, Western Australia

7、Office of Electricity, Standards and Safety, Tasmania

8、Ministry of Commerce, New Zealand

 

      Once a certificate is issued by one of the above authorities, the safety marking consists of the issuing body’s code plus the registration number, for example “N12345”, which means the certificate is issued by NSW with registration number 12345. There is no dedicated safety certification logo, and the logo of the certification body cannot be printed on the product label. Only the certificate number must be marked on the label.

      Australian standards start with “AS”, while joint Australia-New Zealand standards start with “AS/NZS”. Australian and New Zealand standards are largely aligned with IEC standards, with some national deviations. Australia and New Zealand promote standard harmonisation and mutual recognition of certifications. Products certified in one country can be sold in the other. Australian electrical safety certification covers all six Australian states.

 

Product Scope

      Products regulated under SAA certification fall into two categories: declared (mandatory) electrical products and non-declared (voluntary) electrical products.

      1. Declared Electrical Products (Mandatory)

Covers 56 product categories, including external power supplies / chargers, cables, plugs, household appliances (IEC 60335-2-9, -14, -15, -23, -80), luminaires (IEC 60598-2-4), etc.

Prescribed electrical goods must obtain a Certificate of Approval (commonly known as SAA certificate) issued by the regulatory authority, and the certificate number must be marked on the product.

      2. Non-Declared Electrical Products (Voluntary)

Covers products outside the mandatory scope, such as commercial kitchen appliances. Although certification is not compulsory for non-declared products, sellers and manufacturers bear full responsibility for product safety, and certification may be applied for on a voluntary basis.

Regulatory authorities issue a Certificate of Suitability for compliant products. Products holding this certificate may display the certificate number, where the final letter indicates the state or region that issued the certificate.

 

Application Process

1. Client prepares samples and documents and submits them to Hatek.

2. Hatek laboratory conducts product testing.

3. Test report and supporting documents are submitted to the certification body.

4. The certification body reviews the documents and issues the SAA certificate upon approval.

 

Certification Mark

      No dedicated certification logo; only the certificate number must be marked on the product label.

 

Additional Information

Technical specs: AC240V/50Hz for Australia; AC230V/50Hz for New Zealand

Mandatory status: Mandatory + Voluntary

Certificate validity: Up to 5 years

Factory audit requirement: None

Certificate holder requirement: Must be a locally registered company or local agent