BFA -- Urges Industry to heed RoHS Legislation

The British Federation of Audio
PO Box 365
Farnham
GU10 2BD
Phone: + 44 (0) 1428 714616
Fax: + 44 (0) 1428 717599

e-mail:
chrisc@british-audio.org.uk

Stephen N Harris, Chairman of the British Federation of Audio (BFA), has once again urged members of the BFA – and the electronics industry at large - to heed the European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) legislation, due to be enforced from July 1st next year.

RoHS, or to use the accurate but somewhat lengthy title “Directive 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE)”, is primarily concerned with ensuring lead-free electronic equipment. Its aim is claimed to be simple – to restrict the use of six substances* within EEE, thereby contributing to the protection of human health and the environment.

Addressing a recent BFA Board of Directors’ Meeting in London, Harris said “I strongly recommend that people act on RoHS fairly quickly. It’s a lengthy process to comply with all the details and time is fast running out.”

Although RoHS is a European Union (EU) Directive, manufacturers of EEE outside Europe must also abide by this legislation if the equipment they produce is ultimately imported into an EU member state

The BFA has been closely monitoring the progress of the RoHS laws and Harris says “It’s most important to remember that there are penalties involved for what is perceived as deliberate non-compliance.”

*See: http://www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/weee/ for more information.