Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU: Electrical Safety for Industrial Equipment and CE Marking.

LVD 2014/35/EU covers electrical equipment designed for use with a voltage rating of between 50 and 1000V for alternating current and between 75 and 1500V for direct current. These are the nominal voltage limits — not the working voltage during operation. Equipment outside this range is not covered by LVD: very low voltage equipment (below 50V AC) may fall under the Toys Directive or the Low Voltage aspects of the Machinery Directive; equipment for use in explosive atmospheres is covered by ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU; equipment on ships, aircraft and railways is explicitly excluded from LVD scope (Article 1.3).

Harmonised standards published in the Official Journal create a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements of LVD. The most widely used are: EN 60204-1 (safety of machinery — electrical equipment of machines), EN IEC 61439-1 and ‑2 (LV switchgear and controlgear assemblies), EN IEC 60335-1 (safety of household and similar electrical appliances), EN 60950-1 / EN IEC 62368-1 (IT and audio/video equipment), EN 60598-1 (luminaires). When a harmonised standard is applied in full, the manufacturer can use internal control (Annex III) without involving a Notified Body.

For the vast majority of electrical equipment, no Notified Body is required under LVD 2014/35/EU. The standard conformity assessment route is Annex III (internal production control): the manufacturer prepares the technical file, draws up the Declaration of Conformity, and affixes CE marking independently. A Notified Body (Annex IV) is only required when the manufacturer has not applied any harmonised standard or has applied harmonised standards only partially. In that case, the manufacturer submits the technical file to a Notified Body for examination before CE marking. This situation is rare for mainstream electrical products where harmonised standards exist.

LVD 2014/35/EU Annex III specifies the mandatory content of the Declaration of Conformity: (1) product name, model, type or serial number identifying the product, (2) name and address of the manufacturer and, where applicable, the authorised representative, (3) statement that the DoC is issued under the sole responsibility of the manufacturer, (4) identification of the product — description sufficient to allow traceability, (5) reference to the relevant harmonised standards applied or to the other technical specifications, (6) the name and identification number of any Notified Body involved, (7) additional information such as place and date of issue, signatory name and function. The DoC must be kept for 10 years after the last product is placed on market.

LVD 2014/35/EU Annex III requires the technical file to contain: (a) a general description of the electrical equipment, (b) conceptual design and manufacturing drawings and schemes of components, sub-assemblies and circuits, (c) descriptions and explanations necessary for understanding those drawings and schemes and the operation of the electrical equipment, (d) a list of the harmonised standards applied in full or in part, and where those standards have not been applied, descriptions of the solutions adopted to satisfy the essential health and safety requirements of Annex I, (e) results of design calculations made, examinations carried out, and (f) test reports. The technical file must be kept available for market surveillance authorities for 10 years after the last unit is placed on market.

LVD 2014/35/EU establishes obligations for the entire supply chain, not just manufacturers. Importers (companies that place a product from a third country on the EU market) must: verify the manufacturer has carried out the conformity assessment, the technical file is available, the product bears CE marking, the DoC is available, and the manufacturer is identified on the product. Importers must not place on market products they consider non-compliant and must keep a copy of the DoC for 10 years. Distributors must verify CE marking is affixed and the required documentation accompanies the product, and must cooperate with market surveillance authorities.