OFCOM performs checks on electrical equipment placed on the market in Switzerland in order to verify that it complies with the requirements for electromagnetic compatibility. Among other things, this is to ensure that its use does not interfere with other equipment or installations.
To the extent that conformity is verified once the equipment is available on the market, OFCOM carries out spot checks or one-off checks on the basis of different information at its disposal.
OFCOM does not check all the electrical equipment available on the market. It acts in a targeted manner, taking greater account of the danger that non-compliant equipment may represent rather than the technology employed.
When OFCOM suspects that a trader is selling non-compliant electrical equipment, it goes to the premises to carry out a check and removes samples to examine their conformity. It then carries out a technical inspection. It also checks that the user instructions, the information on the equipment and the declaration of conformity comply with the legal provisions. In the event of a dispute, tests may be carried out by external laboratories.
The checking of the electromagnetic compatibility of electrical equipment is based on the Electrical Equipment Act and on the Ordinance on Electromagnetic Compatibility.
