May 6, 2021 – Electro-Federation Canada has launched an industry portal to provide its electrical channel partners—and consumers in general—with resources and guidance on germicidal UVC (GUV) devices.

(You’ll find information on germicidal UVC in various areas of EBMag.com, including this webinar we conducted with our friends at Signify.)

These devices have proved an effective means for preventing the spread of bacteria and viruses, as UVC inactivates microorganisms. However, with the exception of one product (as of this report), none have yet been approved for use in Canada.

“UV lights—if they are not properly tested and certified, and registered with Health Canada—could be harmful to the consumer,” warned Gurvinder Chopra, vice-president, Standards & Regulations.

EFC’s membership includes companies that manufacture a range of electrical products, including GUV solutions.

“All our manufacturing members are using due diligence, performing suitable testing, to make sure their products are safe,” Chopra added. “So it is very important to us… to let distributors and consumers know they may be using the wrong products.”

Several members from EFC’s Lighting Business Section have partnered with EFC to develop the GUV Devices Industry Portal, which aims to provide guidance on:

• Searching for registered GUV devices as they become approved by Health Canada.

• Submitting a report to Health Canada should an unregistered GUV device be found in the Canadian market.

Whether it’s the supply chain or end users, EFC wants consumers to take heed of misinformation and possible bad actors in the market who have not rigorously tested their products for safety, nor gone through the requisite certification and regulatory processes.

“This portal provides contractors and distributors and, really, the community at-large with a portal to be able to search products when they have been registered for safe use by Health Canada, as well as the ability to report any products that may be in the market today, but have not been registered [i.e. approved for use],” says Swati Patel, vice-president, Marketing & Channel Development.

As for any tips for identifying suspicious products, Chopra points to the online searchable database as your first and most-important stop.

Packaging for legitimate product will bear the name of the manufacturer, plus a notification that the product has been registered with Health Canada and a certification logo of some kind. However, logos can be counterfeited, which is why both Chopra and Patel strongly advise using the searchable database.

The portal also provides an FAQ about product registration requirements and the safe use of GUV devices.

Remember: Just because it’s for sale, doesn’t mean it’s approved.