RCM and electrical safety

What the rule is and who it applies to

The Electrical Equipment Safety System covers household equipment running between 50 V and 1000 V AC. In-scope equipment must not be sold unless it is RCM marked. The RCM is one mark shared by the electrical regulators and ACMA, so it also covers the radio and interference rules.

Equipment is ranked by risk. Level 3 needs a Certificate of Conformity from a recognised certifier and registration on the national database. Level 2 needs registration and a compliance folder. Level 1 needs evidence that it met the standard. Registering Level 2 or 3 gear as Level 1 is not allowed.

The responsible supplier is the Australian manufacturer or importer, and it must hold an ABN. A certificate does not transfer: if three companies import the same light, each must register it. Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania have signed the scheme. New South Wales runs its own declared articles scheme with its own approval marks.

How to check it yourself

• Go to the public search on the EESS site and enter the model number and trade name, or use the image search.
• Ask the seller for the responsible supplier registration number and the equipment registration number, and check both.
• For Level 3 gear, the certificate should be current. They usually run 5 years and the registration ends with the certificate.
• In New South Wales, check the approval number against the approved electrical articles register.

What evidence Elje holds per item

• The EESS level for each item, the registration numbers and the search result with its date.
• The Certificate of Conformity for Level 3 items.
• Who the responsible supplier is for your order, written in the Project Plan before you pay a deposit.
• The IP rating of anything going into a bathroom, checked against your electrician's zone layout.

The common traps with China-made product

• A CE mark or a Chinese CCC mark offered instead of the RCM. Neither is valid here.
• An RCM printed on the box with no registration behind it. The mark is tied to a registered supplier, so check the database, not the label.
• A certificate held by another importer. It does not cover your shipment.
• LED downlights that look identical to a registered model but come with an unregistered driver.
• Bathroom fittings with an IP rating too low for the zone they are going into.

When a factory offers appliances

Kitchen factories often sell ovens, cooktops, rangehoods and fridges alongside the cabinets, at a fraction of retail. One Foshan catalogue we hold lists 199 appliance models with sizes and cut-outs, and not one shows an Australian mark. Elje does not import appliances: buy them in Australia and have the factory draw the joinery to their cut-outs. If you still want to, check every one of these before you pay.

• Electrical safety: RCM and an EESS registration for the exact model, held by an Australian responsible supplier.
• Gas: an Australian certificate number on the data plate for every gas appliance. A gasfitter cannot legally connect one without it, and overseas certification does not count.
• Energy Rating: fridges, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers must be registered and labelled under the national energy efficiency (GEMS) rules.
• Water rating: dishwashers and washing machines need a WELS rating.
• Plug, voltage and gas type: 230 V 50 Hz, an Australian plug or hardwired, and burners set for natural gas or LPG to match your supply.
• Warranty and parts: who fixes it here, and how long parts take to come from the factory.

Questions