Product certification or
product qualification is the process of verifying that a certain product has passed performance tests and
quality assuranceQuality assurance, or QA for short, is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process...
tests or qualification requirements stipulated in
contractA contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
s,
regulationRegulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
s, or specifications. For example, it may relate to a
building codeA building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. The main purpose of building codes are to protect public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the...
, nationally accredited test standards, or a set of regulations governing quality and minimum performance requirements. Certifications (and the
certificateCertificate may refer to:* Public key certificate, an electronic document used in cryptography* Certificate of deposit, or CD, a financial product commonly offered to consumers by banks, thrift institutions, and credit unions...
s that document their existence) are often called
certs in the everyday jargon of various industries.
Certification of products
Certification of a product to a technical standard does not necessarily prove a product to be correct. An item might be
verifiedThe word verification may refer to:* Verification and validation, in engineering or quality management systems, it is the act of reviewing, inspecting or testing, in order to establish and document that a product, service or system meets regulatory or technical standards.* Verification , in the...
to comply with a specification or stamped with a specification number: This does not, by itself, indicate that the item is fit for any particular use. The people who use the item (engineers, trade unions, etc.) or specify the item (building codes, government, industry, etc.) have the responsibility to consider the choice of available specifications, specify the correct one, enforce compliance, and use the item correctly.
ValidationIn software project management, software testing, and software engineering, verification and validation is the process of checking that a software system meets specifications and that it fulfills its intended purpose...
of suitability is necessary.
Product certification is often called for in sensitive product areas where a failure could have serious consequences. For example, certification is stringent in
aerospaceAerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
applications, since the demands for low weight tend to lead to high stress on components, requiring appropriate
metallurgyMetallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
and accuracy in
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
. Other sensitive product area may include:
foodFood is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
, pharmaceuticals, healthcare products,
dangerous goodsDangerous goods are solids, liquids, or gases that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment. They are often subject to chemical regulations. "HazMat teams" are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods...
, etc.
The widespread availability of the Internet has led to a new kind of certification for websites. Website certifications exist to certify the website's
privacy policyPrivacy policy is a statement or a legal document that discloses some or all of the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses and manages a customer or client's data...
,
securitySecurity is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
of their
financial transactionA financial transaction is an event or condition under the contract between a buyer and a seller to exchange an asset for payment. It involves a change in the status of the finances of two or more businesses or individuals.-History:...
s, suitability for
minorsIn law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
, etc.
Products are certified at the beginning of production and often need periodic recertification. In addition, continuing compliance with a
quality management systemA quality management system can be expressed as the organizational structure, procedures, processes and resources needed to implement quality management.-Elements of a Quality Management System:# Organizational structure# Responsibilities# Methods...
such as
ISO 9000The ISO 9000 family of standards relates to quality management systems and is designed to help organizations ensure they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders . The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and available through National...
is often required. Certified products may be endorsed with a quality mark or be eligible to display a
certification markA certification mark on a commercial product indicates five things:* The existence of a legal follow-up or product certification agreement between the manufacturer of a product and an organization with national accreditation for both testing and certification,* Legal evidence that the product was...
.
Products must be used in accordance with their listing for certification to be effective.
In
broadcast engineeringBroadcast engineering is the field of electrical engineering, and now to some extent computer engineering and information technology, which deals with radio and television broadcasting...
,
transmitterIn electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
s and radio antennaa often must by certified by the broadcasting authority. In the United States, this is called "type acceptance" by the
Federal Communications CommissionThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC), and applies to most services except
amateur radioAmateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
(due to its inherent
homebrew-History:In the early years of amateur radio, long before factory-built gear was easily available, most hams built their own transmitting and receiving equipment, a process that came to be known as "homebrewing." In the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, hams handcrafted reasonable-quality vacuum tube-based...
nature). In recent years, this has been
weakenedDeregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
to "type notification", which means that manufacturers are allowed to "approve" their own products, without the oversight of independent testing.
Process
The process depends on the type of product, the organization that provides the certification, a,a the location. Product certification is provided by an authority that accredits the performance or constituents of products, systems, or components. Examples of these authorities are national standards, standards writing organizations, certification organizations, and testing organizations.
An example of a national
accreditorAccreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...
is the Standards Council of Canada. Examples of organizations that fit all of SCC's accreditation categories listed here, are Quality Auditing Institute (QAI),
Intertek GroupIntertek Group plc is a global inspection, product testing and certification company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest tester of consumer goods in the world and has a network of more than 1,000 laboratories in over 100 countries....
, Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada (ULC), an affiliate of
Underwriters LaboratoriesUnderwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent product safety certification organization. Established in 1894, the company has its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and equipment, chiefly dealing...
or TUV Rheinland of North America, an affiliate of TÜV Rheinland Group or TÜV SÜD Amerika Inc., an affiliate of
TÜVTÜVs are German organizations that work to validate the safety of products of all kinds to protect humans and the environment against hazards. As independent consultants, they examine plants, motor vehicles, energy installations, devices and products TÜVs (short for Technischer...
SÜD AG. ULC is accredited in
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to not only conduct tests, but also to provide certification, and to author national standards, through the use of consensus committees.
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's equivalent of Canada's SCC, where it comes to the products used in the construction sector is
Deutsches Institut für BautechnikDeutsches Institut für Bautechnik may be translated as German Institute for Civil Engineering, however, the institute officially does not approve of any translation of its name and wishes to be called only by its original German name. It is an agency of the German , with an office building in Berlin...
(DIBt), which translates to German Institute for Building Technology.
Accreditors routinely
auditThe general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, and energy conservation.- Accounting...
those whom they have accredited in order to determine if the performance or actions of the organisation have changed and do not meet the original accreditation level.
Performance Certifications
In order to earn a
certification markA certification mark on a commercial product indicates five things:* The existence of a legal follow-up or product certification agreement between the manufacturer of a product and an organization with national accreditation for both testing and certification,* Legal evidence that the product was...
, a submittor (usually a manufacturer of a product) is usually required to turn over his entire process standard to the certification organisation, including all information necessary to make the product - descriptions of the equipment, how to run it, purchasing specifications for ingredients or components and quality control measures for the ingredients and components as they arrive in the factory or are made there, as well as the entire product, once assembled or otherwise made.
The certification organisation often has the product is an
inspectorInspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
witness the manufacture of the product that is intended to be tested. The product intended to be tested is then sent directly to the laboratory where the testing will be conducted.
While in
North AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, certification organisations are typically trusted with confidential process standards, in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the accredited laboratories only typically receive quality control information, whereas the process standards themselves are submitted to DIBt.
When received at the testing laboratory, the product is installed into the test assembly. If the test passes and achieves a
rating, (e.g., a fire-resistance rating of a
firestopA firestop is a passive fire protection system of various components used to seal openings and joints in fire-resistance rated wall and/or floor assemblies, based on fire testing and certification listings....
, or an electrical safety rating for a
toasterThe toaster is typically a small electric kitchen appliance designed to toast multiple types of bread products. A typical modern two-slice toaster draws anywhere between 600 and 1200 W and makes toast in 1 to 3 minutes...
), a test report is issued which includes a
certification listingA certification listing is a document used to guide installations of certified products against which a field installation is compared to make sure that it complies with a regulation, such as a building code...
. The listing is used by an Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), such as a municipal building inspector, fire prevention officer, or electrical inspector, to compare the product's use or installation with the intent of the rating by testing. In order to comply with the code, the listing must be "active", as products and companies can become "de-listed" as a result of improprieties or a business decision by the manufacturer.
An active
certification listingA certification listing is a document used to guide installations of certified products against which a field installation is compared to make sure that it complies with a regulation, such as a building code...
includes indication of:
- The product is being made under a certification, or follow-up agreement that exists between the manufacturer and the certification organisation, such as ULC, including periodic auditing (e.g., unannounced factory audits), for the purpose of ensuring that the product being made and sold is still identical to that which was tested.
- The product's packaging, literature and the manufacturer's promotional information is authorised to use the certification mark
A certification mark on a commercial product indicates five things:* The existence of a legal follow-up or product certification agreement between the manufacturer of a product and an organization with national accreditation for both testing and certification,* Legal evidence that the product was...
.
- The listing is a matter of public record, not proprietary, and is listed in the certification listings directory of the certification organisation
In the case of Germany, the accredited testing organisation routinely audits manufacturing locations and submits quality control test results to DIBt. While the German laboratories do not possess process standards, their methodology can uncover changes in the nature and quality of ingredients, as DIBt establishes very clear tolerances for performance.
The
certification markA certification mark on a commercial product indicates five things:* The existence of a legal follow-up or product certification agreement between the manufacturer of a product and an organization with national accreditation for both testing and certification,* Legal evidence that the product was...
s are easy to see and enable users to track down the
certification listingA certification listing is a document used to guide installations of certified products against which a field installation is compared to make sure that it complies with a regulation, such as a building code...
s to determine the tolerances that guide field use, and whether or not the listing is still active.
Countries and industries without mandatory certification
North America's nuclear industry is exempt from mandatory certification. This has allowed situations leading to large amounts of remedial work, especially for
fireproofingFireproofing, a passive fire protection measure, refers to the act of making materials or structures more resistant to fire, or to those materials themselves, or the act of applying such materials. Applying a certification listed fireproofing system to certain structures allows these to have a...
of electrical circuits (
circuit integrityCircuit integrity refers to the operability of electrical circuits during a fire. It is a form of fire-resistance rating. Circuit integrity is achieved via passive fire protection means, which are subject to stringent listing and approval use and compliance.-Fireproofing:Providing fireproofing for...
) between nuclear reactor and control rooms in the U.S. In this case, submittors were permitted to dictate not only their test procedures, but also to construct test specimens in their own facilities, prior to fire tests on the part of laboratories. The primary example of this situation is the Theromo-Lag Scandal, which came about as a result of disclosures by
whistleblowerA whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
Gerald W. BrownGerald W. "Jerry" Brown is an American whistleblower who concerned himself with deficiencies in passive fire protection systems in US and Canadian nuclear power plants.-Thermo-Lag scandal:...
to the
Nuclear Regulatory CommissionThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
as well as watchdog groups, members of US Congress and the press.
The
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is also unique among western industrialised nations, as product certification is entirely optional.
Where product certification is optional, one must rely on the
ethicsEthics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
of the manufacturer that the item being sold is identical to the item that was tested, and that the item that was tested was in fact installed the way the test report reads. The test report by itself also does not afford its bona fide interpretation in terms of the tolerances that a certification listing would provide.
See also
- Certification listing
A certification listing is a document used to guide installations of certified products against which a field installation is compared to make sure that it complies with a regulation, such as a building code...
- Certification mark
A certification mark on a commercial product indicates five things:* The existence of a legal follow-up or product certification agreement between the manufacturer of a product and an organization with national accreditation for both testing and certification,* Legal evidence that the product was...
- Listing and approval use and compliance
- Professional certification
Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply certification or qualification, is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task...
Sectors
- Farm assurance
Farm assurance is product certification for agricultural products that emphasises the principles of quality assurance. The emphasis on quality assurance means that, in addition to product inspection, farm assurance schemes may include standards and certification for traceability, production...
- Organic certification
Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, [food] processors, retailers and restaurants.Requirements vary...
- Fire protection
Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, compartmentalisation, suppression and investigation of fire and its related emergencies, as well as the research and development, production, testing and application of...
- Hardware certification
With ever dropping prices of hardware devices, the market for networking devices and systems is undergoing a kind of change that can be loosely termed as ‘generalization’...
- NTA Inc
NTA Inc is a nationally recognized testing laboratory and third party certification agency headquartered in Nappanee, Indiana, USA.- About NTA :NTA evaluates and certifies products for the residential and commercial building industry....
External links