SASO Regulatory Update – October 2022

On August 1, 2022, SASO provided an update on the Restriction of Hazardous Subtances (RoHS) requirement. SASO will now accept a Declaration of Conformity (DoC) from the manufacturer or his legal representative in Saudi Arabia in lieu of a test report.

On August 26, 2022, SASO published a list of new, adopted, updated, and withdrawn international standards in the official gazette.

See pdf attachment October 2022 Newsletter - SASO Standards Update 20220826 EN.pdf

On October 2, 2022, SASO issued a reminder to all conformity assessment bodies reminding them of the need to ensure that laboratories issuing testing reports for EER meet the requirements of ISO 17025:2017. In addition, SASO announced the following requirements:

• Ensure that each document is digitally signed and stample and has electronic authentication mechanism (QR Code, Link, et.c).
• Documents uploaded to the SLS portal must be a Native PDF and not a scanned PDF.

On October 4, 2022, SASO released application dates for updating the standards of Electrical Water Heaters, Room Electrical Heaters, and Extension Cords. This update follows a webinar held by SASO on August 31, 2022 to introduce the National updates to these standards.

Dates for updating the standards:

• Publication of the approval of the standards online: August 20, 2021
• Date to stop issuing conformity certificates according to old standards: March 1, 2023
• Date the actual application at customs ports and local factories according to the new standards: June 1, 2023
• Prohibition of trading in the markets for products that have certificates conforming to the old standards: August 1, 2024

On October 21, 2022, SASO published a list of new and updated international standards in the official gazette.

See pdf attachment October 2022 Newsletter - SASO Standards Update 20221021 EN.pdf

On September 23, 2022, SASO released a new Technical Regulation for Simple Pressure Vessels in the official gazette. Only the Arabic version is currently available.

See pdf attachment October 2022 Newsletter - SASO Official Gazette Announcement 20220923 - AR.pdf

On August 2, 2022, the KSA Ministry of Commerce issued a recall for SPARK Audio-Portable Systems due to the possibility of the system detaching from stand and causing serious injury to user. Consumers are encouraged to remove the product from their watercraft and contact the company to arrange for free repairs.

On August 16, 2022, the KSA Ministry of Commerce issued a recall for GEEPAS Refrigerator Model #GRF115SPE due to non-compliance with the Saudi Standard for Energy Efficiency. Consumers are encouraged to contact the company to arrange an appointment for a technician to remove the Refigerator and provide a full refund.

On August 25, 2022, the KSA Ministry of Commerce issued a recall for Mamoroo & Rockaroo Infant Rocker Seats model numbers 1037, 1026, and 4M-055 due to suffocation hazard from sagging restraint snaps. Consumers are encouraged to keep the product out of reach of children and contact the company to arrange for a free belt fastener.

On September 9, 2022, the KSA Ministry of Commerce issued a recall for Hisense Refrigerator Model #RD25WR due to non-compliance with the Saudi Standard for Energy Efficiency. Consumers are encouraged to contact the company to arrange an appointment for a technician to remove the Refigerator and provide a full refund.

On October 26, 2022, the KSA Ministry of Commerce issued a recall for ELC Little Senses Shape Sorter due to the possibility of a small part releasing and posing a choking hazard to user. Consumers are asked to contact the company to arrange for free repairs.