Electronic Equipment (Amendment) Regulations, 2015

Suppliment tal-Gazzetta tal-Gvern ta’ Malta, Nru. 19,377, 3 ta’ Frar, 2015

L.N. 39 of 2015

PRODUCT SAFETY ACT

(CAP. 427)

Restriction of Use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and

Electronic Equipment (Amendment) Regulations, 2015

IN exercise of the powers conferred by articles 38 to 40 of the

Product Safety Act, Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs

and Civil Liberties, on the advice of the Malta Competition and

Consumer Affairs Authority, has made the following regulations:-

The title of these regulations is the Restriction of Use of Citation.

Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment

(Amendment) Regulations, 2015, and these regulations shall be read

and construed as one with the Restriction of Use of Hazardous S.L.427.57

Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations,

hereinafter referred to as "the principal regulations".

(1)

These regulations

implement

the

following Implementation.

European Union legislation

(a)

Commission Delegated Directive 2014/69/EU of

13 March 2014 amending, for the purposes of adapting to

technical progress, Annex IV to Directive 2011/65/EU of the

European Parliament and of the Council as regards an

exemption for lead in dielectric ceramic in capacitors for a rated

voltage of less than 125 V AC or 250 V DC for industrial

monitoring and control instruments;

(b)

Commission Delegated Directive 2014/70/EU of

13 March 2014 amending, for the purposes of adapting to

technical progress, Annex IV to Directive 2011/65/EU of the

European Parliament and of the Council as regards an

exemption for lead in micro-channel plates (MCPs);

(c)

Commission Delegated Directive 2014/71/EU of

13 March 2014 amending, for the purposes of adapting to

technical progress, Annex IV to Directive 2011/65/EU of the

European Parliament and of the Council as regards an

exemption for lead in solder in one interface of large area

stacked die elements;

(d)

Commission Delegated Directive 2014/72/EU of

13 March 2014 amending, for the purposes of adapting to

technical progress, Annex III to Directive 2011/65/EU of the

European Parliament and of the Council as regards an

exemption for lead in solders and termination finishes of

electrical and electronic components and finishes of printed

circuit boards used in ignition modules and other electrical and

electronic engine control systems;

(e)

Commission Delegated Directive 2014/73/EU of

13 March 2014 amending, for the purposes of adapting to

technical progress, Annex IV to Directive 2011/65/EU of the

European Parliament and of the Council as regards an

exemption for lead in platinised platinum electrodes used for

conductivity measurements;

(f)

Commission Delegated Directive 2014/74/EU of

13 March 2014 amending, for the purposes of adapting to

technical progress, Annex IV to Directive 2011/65/EU of the

European Parliament and of the Council as regards an

exemption for lead used in other than C-press compliant pin

connector systems for industrial monitoring and control

instruments;

(g)

Commission Delegated Directive 2014/75/EU of 13

March 2014 amending, for the purposes of adapting to technical

progress, Annex IV to Directive 2011/65/EU of the European

Parliament and of the Council as regards an exemption for

mercury in cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) for back-

lighting liquid crystal displays, not exceeding 5 mg per lamp,

used in industrial monitoring and control instruments placed on

the market before 22 July 2017; and

(h)

Commission Delegated Directive 2014/76/EU of 13

March 2014 amending, for the purposes of adapting to technical

progress, Annex III to Directive 2011/65/EU of the European

Parliament and of the Council as regards an exemption for

Mercury in hand crafted luminous discharge tubes (HLDTs) used

for signs, decorative or architectural and specialist lighting and

light-artwork.

(2) These regulations shall apply to equipment falling under

the scope of the principal regulations.

Schedule III of the principal regulations shall be amended

as follows

(a)

the following item 4(g) shall be added immediately after

item 4(f) in the list thereof

“4(g) Mercury in hand crafted luminous discharge tubes used for signs, Expires on 31

decorative or architectural and specialist lighting and light-artwork, December

where the mercury content shall be limited as follows: (a) 20 mg 2018”;

per electrode pair + 0,3 mg per tube length in cm, but not more than

80 mg, for outdoor applications and indoor applications exposed to

temperatures below 20 °C; (b) 15 mg per electrode pair + 0,24 mg

per tube length in cm, but not more than 80 mg, for all other indoor

applications.

and

(b) the following item 41 shall be added immediately after

item 40 in the list thereof

"41 Lead in solders and termination finishes of electrical and Expires on 31

electronic components and finishes of printed circuit boards used December 2018

in ignition modules and other electrical and electronic engine

control systems, which for technical reasons must be mounted

directly on or in the crankcase or cylinder of hand-held

combustion engines (classes SH:1, SH:2, SH:3 of Directive 97/68/

EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (*)

(*)Directive 97/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 1997 on the

approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to measures against the emission of

gaseous and particulate pollutants from internal combustion engines to be installed in non-road

mobile machinery (OJ L 59, 27.2.1998, p. 1)."

The following items shall be added to the list in Schedule Amends

Schedule IV to

IV of the principal regulations

the principal

regulations.

"35. Mercury in cold cathode fluorescent lamps for

back-lighting liquid crystal displays, not exceeding 5 mg per

lamp, used in industrial monitoring and control instruments

placed on the market before 22 July 2017.

Expires on 21 July 2024.

36. Lead used in other than C-press compliant pin

connector systems for industrial monitoring and control

instruments. Expires on 31 December 2020. May be used after

that date in spare parts for industrial monitoring and control

instruments placed on the market before 1 January 2021.

37. Lead in platinized platinum electrodes used for

conductivity measurements where at least one of the following

conditions applies

(a) wide-range measurements with a conductivity

range covering more than 1 order of magnitude (e.g. range

between 0,1 mS/m and 5 mS/m) in laboratory applications

for unknown concentrations;

(b) measurements of solutions where an accuracy

of +/– 1 % of the sample range and where high corrosion

resistance of the electrode are required for any of the

following

(i)

solutions with an acidity < pH 1;

(ii)

solutions with an alkalinity > pH 13;

(iii)

corrosive solutions containing halogen

gas;

(c) measurements of conductivities above 100

mS/m that must be performed with portable instruments.

Expires on 31 December 2018.

38. Lead in solder in one interface of large area stacked

die elements with more than 500 interconnects per interface

which are used in X-ray detectors of computed tomography and

X-ray systems. Expires on 31 December 2019. May be used

after that date in spare parts for CT and X-ray systems placed on

the market before 1 January 2020.

39. Lead in micro-channel plates (MCPs) used in

equipment where at least one of the following properties is

present

(a) a compact size of the detector for electrons or

ions, where the space for the detector is limited to a

maximum of 3 mm/MCP (detector thickness + space for

installation of the MCP), a maximum of 6 mm in total, and

an alternative design yielding more space for the detector

is scientifically and technically impracticable;

(b) a two-dimensional spatial resolution for

detecting electrons or ions, where at least one of the

following applies

(i) a response time shorter than 25 ns;

(ii) a sample detection area larger than 149

mm2;

(iii) a multiplication factor larger than 1,3 ×

103;

(c) a response time shorter than 5 ns for detecting

electrons or ions;

(d) a sample detection area larger than 314 mm2

for detecting electrons or ions;

(e)

a multiplication factor larger than 4,0 × 107.

The exemption expires on the following dates

(a) 21 July 2021 for medical devices and

monitoring and control instruments;

(b)

21 July 2023 for in-vitro diagnostic medical

devices;

(c) 21 July 2024 for industrial monitoring and

control instruments.

40. Lead in dielectric ceramic in capacitors for a rated

voltage of less than 125 V AC or 250 V DC for industrial

monitoring and control instruments. Expires on 31 December

2020. May be used after that date in spare parts for industrial

monitoring and control instruments placed on the market before

1 January 2021.".

€0.27