In recent years, most manufacturers have issued voluntary quality certificates for goods even if their products are not subject to compulsory certification. This allows them to demonstrate that they care about quality and increase their sales.
When it comes to products that can have a significant impact on the health and lives of consumers, as well as on the state of the ecosystem, the state obliges manufacturers and suppliers to certify their products on a mandatory basis. The procedure takes place in accordance with regulations that have been enshrined in law. But sometimes the certification is carried out according to special technical conditions that for some reasons have been developed for specific products.
When is a product subject to compulsory certification?
Product certification is carried out according to the regulations in force in the Russian Federation or in the territory of the Eurasian Union. In order to find out whether your product should be certified, you can refer to Section 1 of the Rosstandart Unified List or the CCC Unified List. In the first case, the product will be identified according to the classifier in force in the territory of the Russian Federation, and in the second case, according to the TN VED codes.
It may seem that the identification process is quite simple and does not require any special knowledge, but this is not the case. If nonstandard goods or products that have just appeared on the domestic market are subject to certification, the selection of codes can cause difficulties. An incorrect set of codes will affect the correctness of the conformity assessment, ultimately preventing a favourable conclusion from the testing expert.
It is important to bear in mind that a certificate is not only issued for goods produced by a company but also for management systems and services.
Types of mandatory certification
There are several types of mandatory certification. They are determined by the safety profile that the applicant wishes to prove. Most frequently certificates are issued for hygiene, ecology, fire, explosion protection, etc.
Obligatory certification
Mandatory certification involves passing through two main stages. Firstly, specialists from Certification Centre make up a list of documents that an applicant is required to submit. These documents relate to the legal status of the entrepreneur, the statutes of the legal entity, a description of the products to be certified, etc.
The second stage is laboratory testing. After the specialist of the accredited body is satisfied that all the necessary documents have been submitted, he sends samples of the examined products for testing. This test may only be carried out by a laboratory that has the appropriate accreditation.
After the tests have been carried out, the expert will draw up a statement indicating whether the declared products comply with the regulations in force in respect of them. On the basis of this conclusion, the certification centre will issue a permit and enter the certificate number in the Unified Register.
What does an applicant for a mandatory certificate need to know?
After receiving the certificate, the test report must be saved, as this document is proof of the correctness of the certification centre's actions and the safety of the declared products. If the supplier issued the mandatory certificate, it also needs to retain the contract with the manufacturer, on the basis of which authority was delegated.
Without testing, certification is only possible if a declaration of conformity has been issued for the product in question.
Choice of certification scheme
There are several certification schemes, which determine the number of laboratory tests, the need for a panel of experts assessing the production level and the duration of the approval document.