Conformity assessment - what is it?

In the modern world with its developed markets and growing competition, manufacturers of various goods and service providers strive with all their might to prove to the consumer that their product is the best, reliable, comfortable and safe. A process such as conformity assessment comes to their aid.

Basic concepts and definitions

Conformity assessment is a proof of compliance with the requirements established by regulatory documents (standards, technical regulations and conditions) or declared by the customer to the subject of assessment. The main norms for assessing compliance are set out in the law "On Technical Regulation" and other legal acts of the Russian Federation.

The result of the valuation activity is a supporting document that certifies the conformity of the valuation object with the regulatory requirements of GOST and technical regulations or the conditions specified in the agreements.

The conformity assessment system is a combination of management, rules and procedures used in the implementation of valuation activities. There are different levels of assessment systems - international, regional, national, sub-national.

What can be the subject of evaluation?

According to GOST ISO / IEC 17000-2012, an object of conformity assessment is a material, product, system, process, installation, organ or person to which it is possible to apply valuation activity. Under the term “products” the following categories are considered here:

• services (transportation);
• software tools (computer software);
• technical means (mechanical parts, engines, etc.);
• recyclable materials (lubricants).

If the final product, which is the subject of evaluation, consists of elements belonging to different types of products, it is classified as the predominant component.

The objectives of the assessment activities

The purpose of assessing the conformity of products or activities is to conclude whether the object meets the established requirements, for which the actual values ​​of the regulated quality parameters are measured and compared with regulatory ones.

The confirmation of compliance primarily serves to assure that the property being evaluated meets regulatory or agreed requirements. In addition, the existence of a supporting document is intended to assist buyers in an informed choice of the products, works or services of interest to them. It should be noted that obtaining the results of conformity assessment of activities (products) allows you to increase the competitiveness of the evaluated object in the domestic and international markets. Finally, confirmation of compliance helps to create conditions for ensuring a single domestic trade space, as well as for promoting international cooperation in the scientific, technical and economic fields.

Tasks of assessment and confirmation of compliance

Achieving goals is impossible without solving the following tasks:

• selection of a number of quality indicators used to carry out assessment and confirmation of compliance;
• the establishment of limit values ​​or points of conformity (when assessing on a point scale) of these parameters and fixing them in regulatory documents;
• determination of methods and means necessary for the performance of valuation and confirmatory activities;
• establishment of the procedure for the implementation of activities for the assessment and confirmation of compliance.

Principles of assessment and confirmation of compliance

The principles of conformity assessment are the norms on which assessment and confirmatory activities are based. These include:

• free access of interested persons to information regarding the procedure for conducting appraisal work;
• impermissibility of the requirement for mandatory confirmation of compliance of facilities for which the requirements of technical regulations are not established;
• the establishment in the technical regulations for the relevant types of products of the list of forms and schemes used for mandatory confirmation of compliance;
• the need to reduce the time frame for mandatory confirmation activities and the costs of the customer evaluation;
• inadmissibility of coercion to voluntary certification;
• protection of applicants' interests, including the observance of trade secrets regarding data obtained in the course of valuation activities;
• inadmissibility of replacing compulsory certification with voluntary.

The forms and methods of conformity assessment are created and applied to products, processes of construction, production, design or operation, regardless of the country of manufacture or implementation, as well as the types or characteristics of transactions or manufacturers, performers, sellers and purchasers. Thus, the principles, goals and objectives of valuation and confirming activities are independent of the form in which the assessment or confirmation is made.

Forms of assessment work

The following conformity assessment forms are available:

• state control (supervision);
• declaration of conformity (confirmation by the manufacturer);
• accreditation - recognition of the competence of the body or laboratory conducting the conformity assessment;
• state registration - confirmation of the safety of new products, in particular, food, biologically active additives, etc .;
• test;
• licensing;
• commissioning of the facility.

Type of conformity assessment

Confirmation of compliance can be either voluntary (voluntary certification) or mandatory (the manufacturer accepts a declaration of conformity or mandatory certification). According to Russian law, the customer has the right to choose any form of mandatory confirmation, i.e., mandatory product certification can be replaced by a declaration. Note that only processes are subject to mandatory certification. Work and services may only be subject to voluntary certification.

Conformity verification methods include:

• original certificate of conformity ;
• original declaration of conformity;
• a copy of the certificate certified by a notary or certification body that issued the document, as well as the original holder;
• shipping documents drawn up by the manufacturer or supplier for each type of product on the basis of certificates or declarations of conformity with an indication of their output. This information is certified by the signature and seal of the manufacturer (supplier, seller) indicating his contact information.

Voluntary certification

This method of confirmation of conformity is applied at the initiative of the manufacturer on the terms agreed with the certification body. Voluntary certification is used to ascertain compliance of a product or service with state standards, voluntary certification systems, enterprise standards, as well as contract terms.

Mandatory certification

Mandatory certification activities are carried out exclusively for those facilities for which technical regulations have been developed and only for its compliance with the requirements of the regulations.

Mandatory certification is a type of state supervision of product safety. It is carried out by the certification body on the basis of an agreement with the customer. The body carrying out activities on mandatory certification must be accredited in the legislatively established order.

The received certificate and mark of conformity are valid throughout the Russian Federation. Obligatory certification serves only to confirm that the applicant fulfills the safety requirements that are critical for the health and life of the consumer, as well as property and environmental safety during the manufacture of the product or the provision of the service.

Declaration of Conformity

The declaration of conformity is filed on the basis of the evidence presented by the applicant, in addition to which you can add evidence obtained with the participation of a third party. Applicants can be both individuals and organizations. Declaration schemes, as well as the composition of materials for argumentation, are determined by technical regulations.

Characteristics of certification types

A comparative analysis of the main characteristics of the types of certification is conveniently presented in the form of a table.

Obligations of manufacturers (sellers) of products and contractors

When conducting a conformity assessment, manufacturers and dealers of products, as well as contractors of works and services, are required to:

• release (sell) products (perform services) only if there is a supporting document;
• to ensure compliance of manufactured or sold products with the stated requirements and marking with a mark of conformity;
• indicate in the accompanying documents for the product or service information on the confirmation of conformity;
• Contribute to the control and supervision of certified products;
• to suspend or terminate the production (sale) of products, if it does not meet the established requirements or after the certificate has expired, as well as at the expiration date.