Testing, inspection and certification

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The testing, inspection and certification (TIC) sector consists of conformity assessment bodies who provide services ranging from auditing and inspection, to testing, verification, quality assurance and certification. The sector consists of both in-house and outsourced services.

Contents

Definition

The International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission, international standard-setting bodies composed of representatives from various national standards organizations, define the different testing, inspection and certification services in the international standard ISO 17000 series which includes ISO/IEC 17000:2020 conformity assessment -- vocabulary and general principles. [1]

The process of conformity assessment demonstrates whether a product, service, process, claim, system or person meets the relevant requirements. [2]

History

The history of testing, inspection and certification services spans back several centuries. In the late 19th century, following the advent of the industrial revolution and the considerable risks involved with high-pressure steam boilers, specialized institutions emerged across Europe which carried out periodical inspections of such vessels to assess their overall condition as a precautionary measure to avoid large and often deadly damages. [3] Likewise, several of today's leading TIC companies started as classification societies in the 18th and 19th century to provide information to shipping underwriters on the condition of ships and equipment. [4]

As a result of globalization, supply chains are becoming increasingly more complex. Outsourcing and rising end user quality expectations have resulted in a higher demand for independent TIC services. Businesses are aiming to ensure that products, infrastructures and processes meet the required standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility, reducing the risk of failure, accidents and disruption. [5] This includes such services as the testing and inspection of bulk carriers and their cargos possibly carrying commodities such as petroleum, grains or livestock.

Independent TIC companies also play a key role in aiding governments fulfill their mandate in protecting consumers against hazardous products. In the European Union, for example, under the "new approach" directives, certain product categories require assessment by accredited independent TIC companies, known as notified bodies. [6] In the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 stipulates that third-party testing and certification of certain products is mandatory prior to being placed on the market.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Organization for Standardization</span> International standards development organization

The International Organization for Standardization is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Article 3 of the ISO Statutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Electrotechnical Commission</span> International standards organization

The International Electrotechnical Commission is an international standards organization that prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as "electrotechnology". IEC standards cover a vast range of technologies from power generation, transmission and distribution to home appliances and office equipment, semiconductors, fibre optics, batteries, solar energy, nanotechnology and marine energy as well as many others. The IEC also manages four global conformity assessment systems that certify whether equipment, system or components conform to its international standards.

Conformance testing — an element of conformity assessment, and also known as compliance testing, or type testing — is testing or other activities that determine whether a process, product, or service complies with the requirements of a specification, technical standard, contract, or regulation. Testing is often either logical testing or physical testing. The test procedures may involve other criteria from mathematical testing or chemical testing. Beyond simple conformance, other requirements for efficiency, interoperability, or compliance may apply. Conformance testing may be undertaken by the producer of the product or service being assessed, by a user, or by an accredited independent organization, which can sometimes be the author of the standard being used. When testing is accompanied by certification, the products or services may then be advertised as being certified in compliance with the referred technical standard. Manufacturers and suppliers of products and services rely on such certification including listing on the certification body's website, to assure quality to the end user and that competing suppliers are on the same level.

The ISO 9000 family is a set of five quality management systems (QMS) standards by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that help organizations ensure they meet customer and other stakeholder needs within statutory and regulatory requirements related to a product or service. ISO 9000 deals with the fundamentals and vocabulary of QMS, including the seven quality management principles that underlie the family of standards. ISO 9001 deals with the requirements that organizations wishing to meet the standard must fulfill. ISO/TS 9002 offers guidelines for the application of ISO 9001. ISO 9004 gives guidance on achieving sustained organizational success.

Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Certification</span> Formal confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person or organization

Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit. Accreditation is a specific organization's process of certification. According to the U.S. National Council on Measurement in Education, a certification test is a credentialing test used to determine whether individuals are knowledgeable enough in a given occupational area to be labeled "competent to practice" in that area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Product certification</span> Performance and quality assurance

Product certification or product qualification is the process of certifying that a certain product has passed performance tests and quality assurance tests, and meets qualification criteria stipulated in contracts, regulations, or specifications.

ISO/IEC 17025General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories is the main standard used by testing and calibration laboratories. In most countries, ISO/IEC 17025 is the standard for which most labs must hold accreditation in order to be deemed technically competent. In many cases, suppliers and regulatory authorities will not accept test or calibration results from a lab that is not accredited. Originally known as ISO/IEC Guide 25, ISO/IEC 17025 was initially issued by ISO/IEC in 1999. There are many commonalities with the ISO 9000 standard, but ISO/IEC 17025 is more specific in requirements for competence and applies directly to those organizations that produce testing and calibration results and is based on more technical principles. Laboratories use ISO/IEC 17025 to implement a quality system aimed at improving their ability to consistently produce valid results. Material in the standard also forms the basis for accreditation from an accreditation body.

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) (French: Conseil canadien des normes (CCN)) is a Canadian crown corporation with the mandate to promote voluntary standardization in Canada. The SCC is responsible for:

ISO 13485Medical devices -- Quality management systems -- Requirements for regulatory purposes is a voluntary standard, published by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for the first time in 1996, and contains a comprehensive quality management system for the design and manufacture of medical devices. The latest version of this standard supersedes earlier documents such as EN 46001 and EN 46002 (1996), the previously published ISO 13485, and ISO 13488.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safety Equipment Institute</span>

The Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) is a private, non-profit organization established to administer non-governmental, third-party certification programs to test and certify a broad range of safety and protective products. As of April 2016, it became an affiliate of ASTM International, a global standards development organization. It is accredited to ISO/IEC 17065, Conformity Assessment - Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services, by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB). It works with assorted standards organizations to verify that various products meet the safety standards set for them. Products certified by SEI may bear the SEI Certification Mark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Approvals Service for Cables</span>

British Approvals Service for Cables is an independent accredited certification body headquartered in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. Here, the organization's dedicated testing laboratory also operates which is believed to be the largest of its type in Europe. BASEC was established in 1971 and principally provides product certification services for all types of cable and wire, ancillary products and management systems within the cable industry. The organization maintains operations throughout the world including Africa, Middle East, America, Asia and Europe.

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the sole national accreditation body recognised by the British government to assess the competence of organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. It evaluates these conformity assessment bodies and then accredits them where they are found to meet relevant internationally specified standards.

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is a private organization that works as a "coalition of action" from the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) and brings together retailers and brand owners (manufacturers) from across the CGF membership. The GFSI operates under multi-stakeholder governance, with the objective to create "an extended food safety community to oversee food safety standards for businesses and help provide access to safe food for people everywhere". GFSI's work in benchmarking and harmonization aims to foster mutual acceptance of GFSI-recognized certification programs across the industry, with the ambition to enable a "once certified, accepted everywhere" approach.

IEC 62443 is an international series of standards that address cybersecurity for operational technology in automation and control systems. The standard is divided into different sections and describes both technical and process-related aspects of automation and control systems cybersecurity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korea Testing & Research Institute</span> Testing and certification institute in South Korea

The Korea Testing & Research Institute (Korean: 한국화학융합시험연구원), abbreviated as KTR, is a testing and certification institute in South Korea which performs integrate testing, certification, and technical consulting for all fields of the industry.

The National Standardization Agency of Indonesia is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) member body for Indonesia. BSN is a non-ministerial Indonesian government agency with the main task of carrying out governmental tasks in the field of standardization and conformity assessment in Indonesia. The agency is also responsible to develop and maintain the Indonesian National Standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkish Standards Institution</span>

The Turkish Standards Institution is a public standards organization whose mission is to increase the competitiveness of Turkey, facilitating trade on national and international levels and develop society's standard of living by providing standardization and conformity assessment in diverse fields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification</span> Science and technology agency of the Government of India

Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate, established in 1980, is an authoritative body offering quality assurance services to IT and Electronics domains.

References

  1. ↑ "ISO/IEC 17000:2020(en) Conformity assessment — Vocabulary and general principles". iso.org. International Organization for Standardization. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "Conformity assessment". iso.org. International Organization for Standardization.
  3. ↑ Anniversary Book - 50 Years of Public Safety (PDF). CEOC International. 2011. pp. 7–11.
  4. ↑ "Classification societies – what, why and how?" (PDF). IACS - International Association of Classification Societies. IACS. p. 4. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  5. ↑ Spot On Testing Inspection & Certification. Oaklins. August 2017.
  6. ↑ "Notified Bodies - European Commission". European Commission. European Commission. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
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