We Know The Electric Sign Business!
For over 25 years, QPS has helped sign shops of all types and sizes – just like yours – by providing Certification & Field Evaluation Services.
INTRODUCING THE QPS SIGN SHOP PROGRAM
QPS Sign Shop Program – What we are offering:
The intent of the program allows a manufacturer to have their electric signs listed without any in house testing and/or evaluation.
Depending on the Market & End Destination of your signs, they will be evaluated to either or both of the following standards:
UL 48 Standard for Electric Signs
CAN/CSA C22.2 No 207 Portable and Stationary Electric Signs and Displays
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Required Documentation:
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- Component Traceability Records of all Certified / Listed / Approved Components with the Bill of Materials
- Checklist for Wiring Diagrams, Schematics and Markings
- Personnel Assigned to Sign Shop Listing
- Check List for Sign Documentation
- Sign Label Log
What is NOT covered:
- ❌ Illuminated clocks operating at 600 V or less
- ❌ Exit signs
- ❌ Trailer of a trailer mounted sign
- ❌ Luminaires mounted to function as outline lighting
- ❌ Luminaires mounted within an Awning Sign
- ❌ Signs that do not use electricity
- ❌ Luminaires intended for billboard illumination
- ❌ Fiber optics or Fiber optic illuminators
- ❌ Signs for use in hazardous locations
We know that you are busy, and mindful of your need to get products to market faster. That’s why we have dedicated experts ready to help you, just a click away!
The term “sign” includes signs, outline lighting, art forms, and skeleton neon tubing…so then, what is covered?
All signs regardless of voltage that are electrically operated and/or electrically illuminated.- Illumination Types: Incandescent, Fluorescent, High Intensity Discharge (HID), Electric Discharge Tubing (including Neon Tubing), Light-Emitting Diode (LED), Skeleton Neon Tubing, Cold-Cathode Lamps, and of course Electroluminescence.
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Is that it? – No! The Sign Shop Program also includes:
- ➤Awning signs
- ➤Trailer-mounted signs
- ➤Electrically or mechanically animated signs
- ➤Signs supplied by photovoltaic (PV) systems and other independent power sources
- ➤Changing message signs
- ➤Scrolling
- ➤Flipper
- ➤Tri-view
- ➤Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
- ➤Light-Emitting Diode (LED)
- ➤Other electrically operated signs that are not necessarily illuminated
How Can QPS Help?
Our testing and certification services are designed to give you direct access to our technical experts who will assist you in identifying the applicable standards and in understanding the technical and regulatory requirements.
Our testing and certification capabilities also include a wide variety of lighting products, too.
We also offer Field Evaluation Services for USA and Canada, Training specific to the Sign Shop industry and a Technical Advisor Service.
Click on each title below to learn more.
Field Evaluation for the USA and Canada
Field Evaluation for the USA
Safety regulations in North America make it mandatory for electrical/electronic products to be approved. Certification is the most common form of approval, however, in many situations, Field Evaluation may be the only practical form of approval.
Field Evaluation is a process whereby unapproved products can be evaluated on-site to requirements that are acceptable to the local AHJ – Authority Having Jurisdiction. Depending on the rules of the local jurisdiction, the inspection site can vary and may be the place of installation, manufacturing, distribution, storage, or any other place accepted by the local AHJ.
QPS is recognized in the industry as the leader in Field Evaluation. Valued and respected, QPS’s reputation in this area goes back over 25 years, and is based on two factors:
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* The majority of our inspectors have over a quarter century of experience in field evaluation
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* Unlike other providers of this service, all of our inspectors specialize in, and are totally dedicated to field evaluation work.
We provide services locally through our service centers located throughout the USA and Canada, and globally through our own staff located abroad.
SPECIFICS: Field Evaluation for the USA
In the USA, testing laboratories recognized by the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) are qualified to offer Field Evaluation services. In addition to being an NRTL, QPS is recognized in several states and local jurisdictions, and is also accredited by IAS (International Accreditation Service) specifically as a Field Evaluation Body (FEB).
The requirements utilized to evaluate products for the US market consist of the following:
- NFPA 790 (Standard for Competency of Third-party Field Evaluation Bodies)
- NFPA 791 (Recommended Practice and Procedures for Unlabeled Electrical Equipment Evaluation)
- The applicable parts of the National Electrical Code (NEC) and other requirements specified by the AHJ.
Complying products are labeled with the QPS “QFU” label shown below:
SPECIFICS: Field Evaluation for Canada
Canadian safety regulations stipulate that field evaluation must be conducted to the requirements of the Model Code SPE 1000 by an Inspection Body (IB)/Field Evaluation Body (FEB) accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and recognized by the Regulatory Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).
The SPE 1000 requirements were developed by a special technical committee established by the Canadian Advisory Council on Electrical Safety (CACES). It is worth noting that QPS chairs this committee and contributed substantial technical expertise in developing the requirements.
Field Evaluation of Complete Equipment:
The equipment is evaluated to the requirements of the Model Code SPE 1000, and the applicable sections of the Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1. Complying products are labeled with the QPS “QE” series label shown below:
Sign Shop Training
GET THE BEST, FROM THE BEST – QPS Sign Shop Training: On site training to help you meet the requirements!
QPS CLASS for UL 48 Electrical Safety for Signs and CSA C22.2 NO. 207:15 (R2020) Portable and stationary electric signs and displays
- ~ Classroom style training
- ~ Page by page outline of UL48 Electric Signs and/or CSA 207
- ~ A very cost effective alternative when compared to UL University™
Technical Advisory Service (TAS)
The QPS Technical Advisory Service (TAS) is a confidential, customized service designed to be your source for information, advice, and training.
Our technical experts will help you get on the right track early in the product development cycle, before you commit to production, and will guide you through the requirements that apply to your products in markets around the world.
Planning ahead is important and often critical because “one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, which is also true in the certification world.
Whether you are designing a new product, or making changes to an existing product, or planning to expand into new markets, understanding the regulatory and standards requirements beforehand can make a significant difference between success and failure.
Together, we will review your drawings, conduct a preliminary review of your prototype, identify areas of non-compliance, and highlight key areas of consideration to achieve successful certification first time around. Our experts will help you avoid mistakes before your product goes to production and will perform a detailed review of your product that includes, but is not limited to:
- General Questions and Answers. Identify the applicable standards and regulations
- Understand the intent of the requirements and how they apply to your products
- Review of drawings, manuals, schematics, and Bill of Materials
- Examine the construction of the product and identify potential non-compliance issues
- Identify the applicable tests
- Prepare a formal report documenting our findings and comments
No matter where you are located, QPS can assist you locally with customized services that meet your needs to get your product approved.
CONTACT US – WE ARE HERE TO HELP!
We are known to be pro-business and are very responsive; we will work with you to meet your deadlines. If needed, we will be on-site the next working day!
Field Evaluations For North America Explained
You Don’t Need UL / CSA For Certification!!
View The QPS Certification Marks & Labels
Regulatory Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) across the USA and Canada recognize and accept the QPS Mark and approval Label as evidence of compliance with the required North American safety standards and codes. The QPS Mark/Label demonstrates to your customers, distributors and AHJs that your equipment has been tested and certified.
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