The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) has prevented the sale and distribution of substandard circuit-breakers. The circuit breakers imported from China are covered by the BPS.

The said products were found non-conforming to the inverse time-delay operation and marking requirements of Philippine National Standard (PNS) 1573-2:1997 (Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear – Part 2: Circuit-breakers) during the conduct of independent product testing. The inverse time-delay operation requirement measures the duration of how long before a circuit-breaker trips or cuts off the flow of electricity once subjected to overload conditions. This requirement reflects one of the main purposes of circuit-breakers which is to interrupt the electric current to prevent circuits from overheating which could eventually lead to an electrical fire and ultimately, damage to life and property.

DTI-BPS witnessed the destruction of the substandard imported circuit-breakers at the importer’s warehouse in Valenzuela City on 30 May 2023. The products were destroyed and were disposed accordingly.

Circuit-breaker is among the 111 products and systems currently covered under the BPS’ Mandatory Product Certification Schemes (www.bps.dti.gov.ph/product-certification/list-of-productsunder-mandatory-certification). The regulated products are classified into three (3) major product groups, namely, 1/ Electrical and Electronic Products, 2/ Mechanical/Building & Construction Materials, and 3/ Chemical & Other Consumer Products and Systems.

The DTI-BPS implements two (2) Mandatory Product Certification Schemes: the Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and/or Safety Certification Mark Licensing Scheme and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) Certification Scheme. Products covered by the mandatory certification, whether locally manufactured or imported, are not allowed to be distributed in the Philippine market without the necessary PS or ICC marks.

For more updates and information on standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures (STRACAP), please visit the BPS website at www.bps.dti.gov.ph. Emails and messages may also be sent to bps@dti.gov.ph or through the official BPS Facebook page (facebook.com/PHstandards).*

Date of release: 05 July 2023

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