16 BUSINESS AND TRAINING
• As the assessment process is robust , certification can be used as evidence of meeting your duty of care to supply safe goods if you are challenged with product liability accusations .
Who uses one of these schemes ? Manufacturers , importers , retailers and distributors of products seeking to demonstrate that an independent third party has assessed a product and found it to be compliant with regulatory requisites .
ISO / IEC 17065 summarises product certification as a procedure through which a third party provides assurance that a product conforms to the specified standards .
Any manufacturer or company may apply to have their product certified to the requirements of publicly available standards under these product certification schemes . Products manufactured either to the South African standards , international standards , regional or foreign national standards are eligible for the scheme .
Under this scheme , which is based on the ISO Scheme Type 5 , an applicant will be awarded a licence to demonstrate a Certification Mark of Approval on their product once the product complies with the requirement of the specified standard and the factory has a proper quality control system to ensure consistency and continuous compliance with the product certification requirement .
The benefits of this include :
• Demonstrates product compliance with national or international standards , eliminating the need for further testing by purchasers and consumers .
• Provides consumers with an assurance of safety and reliability of products .
• Provides an independent assurance that products are manufactured under an effective system of testing , supervision and control , which should result in improved production efficiency , reduced wastage and elimination of rejects .
• Certified products enjoy the benefits of protection against misrepresentation and competition from substandard products .
• The Certification Mark on certified products is an excellent marketing tool that could help enhance the reputation of the manufacturer and extend market accessibility .
• For a wider market access , all certified products and locally produced certified products must be automatically listed in the certified directory and treasury listings such as JASWIC , at no additional cost .
Why an approved / certified product by an accredited SANAS Certification Board ( CB )? Examples of such certification boards are SAPCS , SABS , SATAS , OMEGA , BSI and AENOR .
CBs are an internationally recognised conformity assessment bodies with experience in providing certification , inspection and testing services to both local and international customers .
These CBs gained accreditation from a leading accreditation body – South African National Accreditation System ( SANAS ) for Product Certification Scheme against the ISO / IEC 17065 : General Requirements for Bodies Operating Product Certification Systems . These accreditations not only demonstrate the competence of our personnel and the credibility of our certification processes , but also ensure the international recognition of our certificates .
The confusion between approved / certified products and accepted , compliant and listed products based on single test reports etc ( Type 1 schemes ) The market , its consumers and particularly plumbers are confused as to what products to choose . They often choose the cheapest
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline May 2024 Volume 30 I Number 3