Certain electrical products and appliances, known as electrical articles must be certified against Australian Standards and approved before they can be sold in NSW. When you buy a declared electrical appliance, you should look for the approval number, also known as an approval mark. Electrical articles can be approved by either NSW Fair Trading, equivalent government agencies in Australia, or by certain private certifiers that have been approved by the Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation to certify and approve electrical articles for sale in NSW.
Below is a list of the certifiers approved in NSW and their approval number or mark. The 'x' represents the individual approval number.
Approval Scheme | Approval number or mark |
|---|---|
NSW Fair Trading | NSW xxxxx |
Other State Government agencies | Q xxxxx, ESO xxxxx, V xxxxx, ESV xxxxx, S xxxxx, T xxxxx |
Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM), historical use |  |
SAI Global Certification Services Pty Ltd | SAI TE EA xxxxxxx or SAI SMK EA xxxxxx or SAI-xxxxxx-EA |
The Australian Gas Association (AGA) | AGA xxxxxx EA or AGA xxxxxx G EA |
SGS Australia Pty Ltd | SGSEA xxxxxx or SGS-xxxxxx-EA |
SAA Approvals Pty Ltd | SAA xxxxxx EA |
UL International New Zealand Limited | U xxxxxx EA |
TUV Rheinland Australia Pty Ltd | TUV xxxxxx EA |
Global Mark Pty Ltd | GMA-xxxxxx-EA |
Market Access (AUS) Pty Ltd trading as Certification Body Australia | CBA xxxxxx or CBA-xxxxxx-EA |
Australian Safety Approval | ASA-xxxxxx-EA |
Conformity Certification Services Pty Ltd | CCS-xxxxxx-EA |
Where an approval mark or number is not visible
The approval mark should be permanently on the article itself – being on the box or container is not sufficient. If you cannot see an approval number or mark on a declared article, ask the salesperson to show you the approval number. If they can't show it to you, don't buy it. If you find a store selling electrical articles that have no approval numbers or markings, contact NSW Fair Trading. We are responsible for monitoring the safety of electrical goods sold in NSW.
Remember electricity can kill. Electrical products that have not been tested and approved for sale in Australia may not meet Australian Standards and can be dangerous!