Cobot and robot arm installation in Canada and the US: certification marks, field evaluation, CSA Z434 and acceptance

Short answer: When a robot arm or cobot arrives at a customer site in Canada or the US, the usual blocker is not teaching or calibration. It is a chain of three checks: certification mark → electrical inspection → risk assessment. Canada wants a mark from a certification body accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), such as CSA, cUL or cETL. US workplaces want equipment listed by an OSHA-recognized Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), such as UL or Intertek (ETL). CE and CCC marks count in neither country. Without a mark, Canada has field evaluation to CSA SPE-1000:2025, labelled unit by unit, and the US has whatever the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) accepts. The risk assessment follows ISO 10218-1 and -2:2025, which Canada has adopted as CSA Z434:26 and the US as ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025. Add a one-page map to the older editions, because regulations and customers still quote them.

This guide is for robot makers shipping arms and cobots to North America, especially from China, and for their integrators and service partners. KeepRobots is a robot field service company in Vancouver. Standards and regulations were checked against official sources on 2026-10-31 and are listed at the end. It is an engineering note, not legal or certification advice: the certification body, the local electrical authority and the customer's safety lead have the final word. Provincial rules use British Columbia, where we are based, as the example. For mobile service robots (delivery, cleaning, humanoid), see robot certification in Canada and UL 3300 for service robots; this page covers fixed arms and cobots only.

A typical failure looks like this. A cobot and its control cabinet arrive by sea at a plant in Canada. The engineer from the factory is already on a plane, with three days planned for installation and acceptance on day four. The customer's licensed electrician opens the cabinet and reads the nameplate: CE, CCC, no CSA, cUL or cETL. He puts the cable down: "I can't connect this." From that point it is no longer a commissioning problem, and most of what is missing could only have been prepared before shipping. Below: what each link in the chain checks, how to fix a gap, and three things you can use directly: a pre-shipment document pack, an installation and acceptance checklist, and a who-does-what table.

1. Certification mark: can it be connected at all?

Canada: a mark from an SCC-accredited body

Electrical equipment connected in Canada must be "approved", which under Rule 2-024 of the Canadian Electrical Code means certified by a certification body accredited by the SCC. British Columbia is blunter: electrical equipment without an approved mark or label may not be used, sold or displayed, and displaying unapproved equipment at a show needs written permission from a safety manager, for no more than 14 days (BC Electrical Safety Regulation, s.21(1) and 21(4)).

Marks commonly accepted on site include CSA, cUL / cULus and cETL / cETLus; the full list is the SCC directory of accredited bodies and the provincial notices. Three traps:

• CE and CCC are not Canadian approvals. They are not issued by SCC-accredited bodies to Canadian standards.
• "UL" without the small "c" usually means US only. Canada needs cUL or c-UL-us.
• It is not just the arm. The controller, teach pendant, external power supply, gripper controller and any added transformer will all have their nameplates checked.

Modifying certified equipment can void the certification. Rewiring a cabinet on site, or swapping in a power module brought from the factory, can turn a valid mark into an invalid one. Ask the certification body first.

For the product standard, industrial machinery in Canada is commonly certified to CSA C22.2 No. 301 (industrial electrical machinery). Its 2023 second edition extended the scope to industrial robots and robotic equipment, and Intertek asked clients to update reports to that edition by 2025-09-01. Which standard applies to your model is a question for your certification body.

United States: NRTL listing under OSHA

Electrical equipment in US workplaces must be "approved" (29 CFR 1910.303(a)), which in practice means listed, labelled or certified by an NRTL such as UL, Intertek ETL or CSA (definitions in 1910.399). 1910.399 has exceptions, such as inspection by the local authority and custom-made equipment judged by the maker on test data, but field inspectors usually still want a label. Do not plan around the exceptions.

The UL 1740 revision matters: with ISO 10218-2 referenced, the safety design and risk documentation in section 3 below are looked at during certification, not only at the customer site. Designing the cabinet to NFPA 79 from the start (emergency-stop circuits, overcurrent protection, wire colours and marking) makes both certification and field inspection easier.

Do it before shipping: a dual US/Canada mark

This does not have to wait until North America. NRTLs such as UL, CSA Group, Intertek and TÜV SÜD have labs or offices in China (CSA Group, for example, has labs in Guangzhou and Kunshan). Apply once for a mark covering both countries, such as cULus, c-CSA-us or an ETL mark with both "c" and "us", assessed to UL 1740 for the US and CSA C22.2 No. 301 for Canada. Ask the body about sample quantities, factory inspection and follow-up inspections.

2. No mark? Field evaluation

A missing mark is fixable on site, but slower and more expensive, so decide the route before the arm ships.

Canada: CSA SPE-1000

An SCC-accredited inspection body visits and evaluates the equipment to CSA SPE-1000, the model code for field evaluation of electrical equipment, and applies a label if it passes.

• The current edition is CSA SPE-1000:2025, the sixth edition, issued in December 2025 and superseding the 2021 edition.
• It is meant for small numbers of custom or special equipment, not as a substitute for certifying a product line.
• Labels are per unit and per site. A second unit of the same model, or the same unit moved to another site, may need a new evaluation.

Find out who the authority is. In BC, ten local governments hold delegated authority under the Safety Standards Act, eight of them for electrical: the City of Vancouver, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, the City and District of North Vancouver, Surrey, Victoria and West Vancouver. Everywhere else it is Technical Safety BC (Richmond and Kelowna administer gas only). Ontario uses the ESA; other provinces have their own.

United States: no national equivalent

Connecting equipment in the US goes through the electrical permit and inspection of the state, county or city: the AHJ. Unlike Canada, there is no single field evaluation code accepted everywhere. NFPA 791 (recommended practice for evaluating unlabelled electrical equipment, 2024 edition) is widely referenced and carried out by field evaluation bodies, but it is a recommended practice, and whether an AHJ accepts a given body's report varies. Some cities publish lists of accepted field evaluation bodies; others decide case by case. The first step on a US project is to identify the AHJ for the customer's plant and ask what it accepts.

These lead times are our suggested planning, not any body's committed turnaround. Ask for actual dates.

3. Risk assessment: will the customer's safety lead sign off?

Once it is powered, the customer's EHS lead will want the risk assessment for the robot application. The standards changed in 2025–2026 and edition numbers are easy to get wrong.

Three changes matter most for makers:

• Collaborative content moved into Part 2. A3 says the collaborative application content from ISO/TS 15066 has been folded into ISO 10218-2:2025. ISO still lists TS 15066:2016 as current while it is revised, but if your file cites only TS 15066, expect the safety lead to ask why.
• "Collaborative application", not "collaborative robot". Collaboration is a property of the whole application: tool, workpiece, speed and where people stand. Force limiting on the arm does not mean the cell needs no safeguarding.
• Part 1 is the manufacturer's, Part 2 the integrator's. The maker supplies the robot's safety functions and information for use; the cell-level risk assessment is normally done by the integrator or the customer.

BC's regulation still cites 1994. WorkSafeBC OHS Regulation s.12.83 requires industrial robots to be installed, safeguarded, maintained, test-started, programmed and used with training in accordance with CAN/CSA-Z434-94 or ANSI/RIA R15.06-1992. Guideline G12.83 (2019) accepts Z434-14 as an alternative; when we checked, it did not mention Z434:26. In practice the safety lead may review against Z434-14 habits while your arm is designed to ISO 10218:2025. A one-page "edition we used and what changed from the old one" saves a lot of explaining on site.

US: no robot-specific OSHA standard, but a general duty. OSHA says there are no specific OSHA standards for the robotics industry. Enforcement uses general standards: 1910.212 (machine guarding), 1910.147 (lockout/tagout), Subpart S (electrical) and the General Duty Clause, section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, which requires a workplace free from recognized hazards. R15.06 is a consensus standard, not an OSHA rule, but it is commonly used as evidence of recognized practice.

Two side checks

• FCC Covered List: the FCC's July 2026 robot entry (DA 26-786) excludes fixed, non-mobile robots such as articulated, SCARA, parallel and Cartesian arms. An arm on an AMR is a different question; ask a lawyer about the specific product. See FCC Covered List and robots: Canada vs the US.
• Radios: a teach pendant or controller with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth needs ISED certification in Canada and FCC equipment authorization in the US. That is separate from electrical safety certification.

4. Pre-shipment document pack

Put it in one English folder and send it to the customer and the field service partner a week before shipping. For customers in Quebec, the Charter of the French Language requires documents supplied with a product (including instructions) to be in French, with no other language more prominent; check with counsel.

• ☐ Nameplate photos: arm, controller, teach pendant, external power supply, gripper controller, marks legible
• ☐ Certificates or listings for every part that connects to power, or the field evaluation booking
• ☐ Electrical drawings: main circuit, safety circuit (e-stop, enabling device, safety I/O), terminal list, in English
• ☐ Supply requirements: voltage, phases, frequency, full-load current, recommended breaker
• ☐ Robot safety functions: stop categories, speed/force/power limits, safety I/O definitions
• ☐ Information for use: installation, operation and maintenance manuals in English (and French for Quebec); English warning labels
• ☐ Cell risk assessment: hazards, measures, residual risk, and which edition it follows
• ☐ Safety parameter record: a signable form for the speed, force and zone limits set on site
• ☐ Standards map: ISO 10218-1/-2:2025 ↔ CSA Z434:26 / R15.06-2025 ↔ older editions
• ☐ Mounting requirements: anchor bolts, torque, floor load, flatness
• ☐ Software versions: controller, pendant and safety controller firmware, matching the manual version
• ☐ Spares and tools: parts shipped with the arm, special tools needed on site
• ☐ Radio parts: ISED and FCC IDs, if any
• ☐ Electrical authority: in Canada, city or provincial body; in the US, the AHJ and its field evaluation rules

5. Installation and acceptance checklist

Principle: the electrician connects power, the integrator or customer signs the risk assessment, the maker confirms safety parameters, and every line has a signature. Before any tool comes out, photograph every nameplate and check it against the pack. Report missing marks or documents to the maker the same day, not on acceptance day.

On arrival

• ☐ Check nameplates and marks against the pack; do not connect any part without a valid mark or evaluation label
• ☐ Confirm the permit or field evaluation is done and inspection booked as the AHJ requires
• ☐ Confirm when the customer's EHS lead, the electrician and the integrator will be on site

Installation

• ☐ Base anchored to drawing; bolt torque recorded
• ☐ Power connected by a licensed electrician under permit; breaker, grounding and cable sizes photographed
• ☐ Controller and pendant cables routed and secured, not across walkways

Safety function tests (record each result)

• ☐ Each emergency stop pressed once; stop category and recovery confirmed
• ☐ Enabling device (three-position): stops when released and when pressed fully
• ☐ Safeguards: door interlocks, light curtains, safety scanners trigger the expected response
• ☐ Collaborative cell: speed and force/power limits set per the risk assessment and re-measured on site
• ☐ Zones: soft limits and safety zone boundaries measured
• ☐ Lockout points confirmed

Functional acceptance

• ☐ Frames calibrated; TCP and payload set for the actual end-effector
• ☐ Cycle time and accuracy run dry against the contract, then with parts
• ☐ PLC and peripheral I/O integration complete

Handover

• ☐ Operator and maintenance training, with a sign-in sheet
• ☐ Safety parameters, programs and configuration backed up: one copy to the customer, one to the maker
• ☐ Acceptance form signed by customer, integrator and maker (remote)

6. Who does what

This is a common arrangement, not a legal allocation. The row that matters most is the first: marks can only be fixed before shipping. Found on site, the only route left is field evaluation, one unit at a time.

Three rules

1. Check marks part by part before shipping. SCC-accredited marks for Canada, NRTL for the US; CE and CCC do not count, and rewiring on site can void a mark.
2. No mark, book field evaluation early. CSA SPE-1000:2025 in Canada, labelled per unit; in the US, ask the AHJ first.
3. Write the risk assessment to ISO 10218:2025 and attach an edition map. CSA Z434:26 and R15.06-2025 have adopted it, but regulations and customers may still quote the old editions.

What KeepRobots can do

KeepRobots is a robot field service company in Vancouver: deployment and commissioning, hourly on-site repair, preventive maintenance, pre-sales demos and parts storage, based in BC and Greater Vancouver and travelling to the rest of Canada and the US. We do not make or sell robots and we are not a certification body. On a robot arm installation we can check your document pack against the list above before the visit, check nameplates and marks before touching tools, work with the licensed electrician and the evaluation body, run and record the safety function tests to your risk assessment, and report gaps to you the same day. Our engineers read Chinese technical documents and can work with factory teams across the time difference.

Current rates, before tax: diagnostic fee CAD 200 per robot, per visit in Canada or USD 200 in the US (credited if you approve the repair); call-out fee CAD 100 per visit in core Greater Vancouver; on-site labour CAD 150/h in Canada or USD 150/h in the US; travel outside the core area and for US jobs is quoted per project. See robot arm and cobot field service, robot deployment services in Canada and the USA and North America field service for robot makers, or email partners@keeprobots.com.

FAQ

Can a robot arm with only CE and CCC marks be connected in Canada or the US?

Usually not. Canada requires a mark from an SCC-accredited certification body (CSA, cUL, cETL and similar), and BC prohibits using electrical equipment without an approved mark. US workplaces require NRTL listing (UL, ETL and similar) under OSHA 1910.303. Every part that connects to power is checked: controller, pendant, power supply, gripper controller.

Is a UL mark enough in Canada?

Usually not. A "UL" mark without the small "c" generally covers the US only; Canada looks for cUL or c-UL-us. A dual mark such as cULus, c-CSA-us or ETL with "c" and "us" can be applied for once, often through the body's labs in China.

What if the robot arm has no North American certification mark?

In Canada, an SCC-accredited inspection body can field-evaluate it to CSA SPE-1000:2025 and label it, but labels are per unit and per site. In the US there is no single national code; NFPA 791 is widely referenced, and acceptance depends on the state, county or city AHJ. Decide the route six to eight weeks before shipping.

Which safety standard applies to cobot installation in Canada and the US?

ISO 10218-1:2025 (robot) and ISO 10218-2:2025 (application and cell). Canada adopted them as CSA Z434:26 (published 2026-03-31) and the US as ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025. Collaborative application content from ISO/TS 15066 is now in ISO 10218-2. BC's OHS Regulation s.12.83 still cites Z434-94, and WorkSafeBC's guideline accepts Z434-14, so include an edition map.

Does a cobot with force limiting still need a risk assessment and safeguarding?

Yes. The 2025 standards treat collaboration as a property of the application (tool, workpiece, speed, where people stand), not of the robot. The cell-level risk assessment is normally done by the integrator or the customer, and it decides what safeguarding is needed.

What does KeepRobots charge for robot arm installation support?

Hourly, with no annual contract: diagnostic fee CAD 200 per robot, per visit in Canada or USD 200 in the US (credited if you approve the repair), call-out CAD 100 per visit in core Greater Vancouver, labour CAD 150/h in Canada or USD 150/h in the US, before tax; travel outside the core area and for US jobs is quoted per project.

Sources (checked 2026-10-31)

• Technical Safety BC, approved certification marks for electrical products: technicalsafetybc.ca
• BC Electrical Safety Regulation (B.C. Reg. 100/2004), s.21: bclaws.gov.bc.ca
• BC government, Safety Standards Act and local government delegation: gov.bc.ca
• IAEI, CE Code Rule 2-024 and "approved": iaeimagazine.org
• SCC, accredited organizations directory: scc-ccn.ca
• SCC, CSA SPE-1000:2025 inspection requirements update: scc-ccn.ca
• SCC standards database, CSA Z434:26: scc-ccn.ca
• ISO 10218-2:2025: iso.org
• A3, ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025 published: automate.org
• WorkSafeBC OHS Regulation Part 12 (s.12.83): worksafebc.com
• WorkSafeBC guidelines Part 12 (G12.83): worksafebc.com
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.303: osha.gov
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.399: osha.gov
• OSHA, robotics standards: osha.gov
• OSH Act section 5, duties: osha.gov
• Intertek, CSA C22.2 No. 301:2023 update notice: intertek
• Intertek, UL 1740 revision notice: intertek
• NFPA 79: nfpa.org
• NFPA 791: nfpa.org
• CSA Group laboratories in Guangzhou: canadianelectricalwholesaler.ca
• OSHA NRTL program: osha.gov
• FCC DA 26-786: fcc.gov
• Quebec, Regulation respecting the language of commerce and business (C-11, r. 9): legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca

Chinese version: 机械臂去北美装机：认证标志、现场评估、风险评估和验收清单

This page summarises public sources for orientation only, as of 2026-10-31. It is not legal or certification advice; the certification body, the local electrical authority and the customer's safety lead decide. Lead times and the responsibility table are KeepRobots' suggestions. Rates are KeepRobots' current published rates, before tax, and may change.