In today's world with its developed markets and growing competition, manufacturers of various goods and service providers strive by all means to prove to the consumer that their product is the best, most reliable, comfortable and safe. A process such as conformity assessment comes to their aid.
Basic concepts and definitions
Conformity assessment is a proof of fulfillment of the requirements established by regulatory documents (standards, technical regulations and conditions) or declared by the customer to the object of assessment. The main norms of conformity assessment are set out in the Law "On Technical Regulation" and other legal acts of the Russian Federation.
The result of the appraisal activity is a supporting document that certifies the compliance of the appraised object with the regulatory requirements of GOST and technical regulations or the conditions specified in the contracts.
Conformity assessment system is a set of management, rules and procedures used in the implementation of assessment activities. There are different levels of assessment systems - international,regional, national, subnational.
What can be assessed?
According to GOST ISO / IEC 17000-2012, the object of conformity assessment is a material, product, system, process, installation, body or person to which assessment activities can be applied. The following categories are considered here under the term "products":
- services (transportation);
- software (computer software);
- technical facilities (mechanical parts, motors, etc.);
- recycled materials (lubricants).
If the final product being assessed consists of elements belonging to different types of products, it is categorized as the predominant component.
Purposes of appraisal activities
The purpose of assessing the conformity of a product or activity 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 the normative ones.
Affirmation of conformity primarily serves to certify the fact that the object being assessed meets regulatory or specified requirements. In addition, the existence of a supporting document is intended to assist buyers in an informed choice of products, works or services that interest them. It should be noted that obtaining the results of assessing the conformity of activities (products) makes it possible to increase the competitiveness of the assessed object in the domestic andinternational markets. Finally, confirmation of conformity contributes to the creation of conditions for ensuring a single domestic trading space, as well as for promoting international cooperation in scientific, technical and economic fields.
Tasks of assessment and confirmation of conformity
Achieving the set goals is impossible without solving the following tasks:
- selection of a number of quality indicators used to perform work on the assessment and confirmation of conformity;
- setting limit values or compliance scores (when assessed on a point scale) of the specified parameters and fixing them in legal documents;
- determination of the methods and means necessary to carry out evaluation and confirmation activities;
- establishing a procedure for the implementation of activities for the assessment and confirmation of conformity.
Principles of assessment and confirmation of conformity
Principles of conformity assessment are the norms on which assessment and confirmation activities are based. These include:
- free access of interested persons to information concerning the procedure for the implementation of evaluation work;
- impermissibility of the requirement for mandatory confirmation of compliance of objects for which the requirements of technical regulations are not established;
- establishment in the technical regulations for the relevant types of products of a list of forms and schemes used for mandatory confirmation of conformity;
- necessity to reduce the time required to carry out mandatory confirmation activities and the cost of the evaluation customer;
- inadmissibility of coercion to voluntary certification;
- Protection of the interests of applicants, including the observance of trade secrets regarding data obtained in the course of appraisal activities;
- inadmissibility of replacing compulsory certification with voluntary one.
Forms and methods of confirmation of conformity are created and applied to products, processes of construction, production, design or operation, regardless of the country of their 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 the assessment and confirmation activities do not depend on the form in which the assessment or confirmation is carried out.
Forms for performing appraisal work
The following forms of conformity assessment exist:
- state control (supervision);
- declaration of conformity (manufacturer's confirmation);
- accreditation - recognition of the competence of a body or laboratory conducting conformity assessment;
- state registration - confirmation of the safety of new products, in particular, food, dietary supplements, etc.;
- test;
- licensing;
- commissioning of the facility.
Types of conformity confirmation
Confirmation of conformity can be both voluntary (voluntary certification) and mandatory (acceptance by the manufacturer of a declaration of conformity or mandatory certification). According to Russian legislation, the customer has the right to choose any form of mandatory confirmation, i.e., mandatory certification of products can be replaced by declaration. Note that only processes are subject to mandatory certification. Works and services can only be subject to voluntary certification.
Methods to confirm compliance include:
- original certificate of conformity;
- original declaration of conformity;
- copy of the certificate, certified by a notary or certifying authority that issued the document, as well as the holder of the original;
- commodity-accompanying documents issued by the manufacturer or supplier for each type of product on the basis of certificates or declarations of conformity, indicating their imprint. This information is certified by the signature and seal of the manufacturer (supplier, seller) indicating its contact details.
Voluntary certification
This method of confirmation of conformity is applied at the initiative of the manufacturer under the conditions agreed with the certification body. Voluntary certification is used to ascertain the compliance of a product or service with state standards, voluntary certification systems, enterprise standards, as well as the terms of the contract.
Requiredcertification
Compulsory certification activities are carried out exclusively for those objects for which technical regulations have been developed and only for its compliance with the requirements of the regulation.
Compulsory certification is a type of state supervision over product safety. It is produced by the certifying body on the basis of an agreement with the customer. The body carrying out activities for mandatory certification must be accredited in accordance with the law.
The received certificate and mark of conformity are valid throughout the Russian Federation. Mandatory certification serves only to confirm that the applicant complies with the safety requirements that are critical for the he alth and life of the consumer, as well as property and environmental safety in the production of products or the provision of services.
Declaration of Conformity
Filing a declaration of conformity is performed on the basis of evidence provided by the applicant, in addition to which evidence obtained with the participation of a third party can be added. 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 types of certification
It is convenient to present a comparative analysis of the main characteristics of certification types in the form of a table.
| Characteristics | Certification | |
| mandatory | voluntary | |
| Target | ensuring the environmental friendliness of products and services, and their safety for the consumer | increasing competitiveness, promoting products and services on the market |
| Foundation | legislation of the Russian Federation | declaration by a legal or natural person (subject to conditions agreed between the customer and the certifying authority) |
| Object | mandatory list products and services | any products and services |
| Verifying Entity |
mandatory certification - third party (Center for Standardization, Metrology and Certification); declaration - first party (manufacturer) |
third party (certifying authority) |
| Evaluation Essence | Checking the compliance of the objects of assessment with the requirements of GOST and technical regulations | stating that the object complies with any requirements of the applicant (or additional requirements of a third party) |
| Regulatory framework | state standards, technical regulations and other regulatory documents that establish mandatory requirements for products and services | Standards of various levels, specifications and other technical documents provided by the applicant |
| Form and scheme of certification | schemes established by relevant technical regulations | certification system can be created by the applicant and contain a list of objects and their characteristics |
Obligations of manufacturers (sellers) of products and performers of work
When conducting a conformity assessment, manufacturers and dealers of products, as well as performers of works and services are required to:
- produce (sell) products (perform services) only if there is a supporting document;
- ensure that manufactured or sold products meet the stated requirements and label them with a conformity mark;
- indicate in the accompanying documents for the product or service information on conformity assessment;
- promote the control and supervision of certified products;
- suspend or stop the release (sale) of products, if it does not meet the established requirements or after the expiration of the certificate, as well as after the expiration date.
