KUCHING, Feb 17 ― Sarawak's importers of controlled electrical appliances wishing to market their products to Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia must meet the standards set by the Energy Commission (EC).
State Industrial Development Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the commission is the regulator of safety label in Sabah and the peninsula, while in Sarawak, it is regulated by the Electrical Inspectorate Unit (EIU).
“Both standard labels are issued by the same certifying bodies, which is SIRIM QAS International Sdn Bhd, the oldest and largest national certifying body in the country.
“I am pleased to note that there is a mutual recognition of both labels through an MoU with the co-operation of the parties involved and signed by the state government and the EC in Kota Kinabalu November last year,” he said.
He said this when launching the SIRIM-EIU Safety Label and a seminar on controlled electrical appliances enforcement in Sarawak, which attended by over 50 importers, here today.
Awang Tengah said both the EC and EIU had effective enforcement process for regulating import as well as the manufacturing and retailing of controlled electrical appliances.
He said the mutual recognition would pave the way for local importers and manufacturers to broaden their markets into Sabah and the Peninsula.
Besides the safety label, he said the importers needed to obtain the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) which was recently introduced by the EC for five types of products to regulate energy efficiency.
He said this was for air conditioners, lamps, fans, television sets and refrigerators.
Awang Tengah said so far 112 importers of electrical appliances had registered with the EIU.
He said the state ministry would enhance good ties with the Royal Customs Department to ensure that all imported controlled electrical appliances were issued with import permits which complied with safety standards.
In her speech earlier, SIRIM QAS International managing director Khalidah Mustafa called on the public to buy electrical appliances with approved SIRIM label to ensure that they met its quality and safety standards. ― Bernama
