EMC Documentation

Companies who CE Mark their products via the self-certification route for both the EMC Directive (EMCD) and safety Directives such as the Low Voltage Directive (LVD) and Machinery Safety Directive (MSD) are declaring that each item meets the essential protection requirements of each Directive. To be able to do this, there should be a documented rationale which supports it. Although the LVD and MSD explicitly require that a Technical File can be produced to an enforcement officer (the EMCD does not), the principal reason for generating CE Marking documentation is internal: it provides a means by which the responsible signatory can confirm that their signature on each Declaration of Conformity will be valid.

For this reason, companies develop CE Marking files for each product, which bring together in one place all information needed to support the declaration. Although not legally required, it would be typical and most cost effective for these to cover all applicable Directives. The contents of such a file for EMC can be loosely based on the recommendations for an EMC Technical Construction File, adapted as necessary.

Documentation for in-house use

The general practice in firms which follow quality procedures within the ISO 9000 structure is to maintain design and production documentation that describes and controls each product. The CE Marking document should simply be an addition to this practice, and will typically refer to much of the material produced anyway as a matter of course.

Documentation for a TCF

The layout and general content of the Technical Construction File: The detail will be determined by the requirements of the Competent Body. To re-iterate -- since there is still much confusion over this -- legally, the Technical File for MSD and LVD purposes is not the same type of document as the EMC Technical Construction File. Practically, similar types of information (relating to safety on the one hand, EMC on the other) would appear in each.

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