Field Evaluation / Special Inspection
Safety regulations in North America make it mandatory for electrical and electronic products to be approved. Certification is the most common form of approval. However, in some situations, Field Evaluation is also another acceptable form of approval recognised by the regulatory authorities in both, Canada and the USA.
Our Field Evaluation service, with locations throughout Canada, the USA and Europe, provides you with fast and cost effective on-site testing and evaluation of your products to technical requirements accepted by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).
The inspection site may be the place of installation, manufacturing, distribution, storage, or any other location.
You may choose Field Evaluation if any one or more of the following situations applies to you:
- Time is of the essence and certification is not practical
- The equipment is already shipped or installed
- You receive the equipment in limited quantities or batches, 500 maximum per model per year
- You are testing the market and may not continue production
- You want to make sure the product complies with the essential requirements before submitting it for
- certification
- You modify an already certified piece of equipment
Complying products will be labeled on the spot using a serialised Field Evaluation Label issued by QPS.
Field Evaluation for Canada
In Canada, only organisations accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) as an Inspection Body (such as QPS) and recognised by the Provincial/Territorial electrical regulatory authority are allowed and qualified to offer Field Evaluation services. QPS is accredited in Canada by the SCC as an Inspection Body, and we are also fully recognised by the regulatory authorities in all the Provinces and Territories.
The technical requirements used to evaluate products for the Canadian market consists of the applicable sections of Part 1 of the Canadian Electrical Code and the CSA Model Code SPE-1000.
Field Evaluation for USA
In the USA, testing laboratories recognised by the local Authority Having Jurisdiction are qualified to offer Field Evaluation services. In addition to being an NRTL, QPS is also recognised in several state and local jurisdictions, and is also one of only two laboratories accredited by IAS (International Accreditation Service) specifically as a Field Evaluation Body.
The technical requirements used to evaluate products for the US market consist of the applicable parts of the National Electrical Code (NEC) and other requirements specified by the AHJ.
