New approach of the European Fire and Security Group
- To be pragmatic by implementing rapidly what is possible
- To focus at first upon testing because it is the most expensive line
- To use EFSG (European Fire and Security Group) as a platform to ease the mutual recognition agreements between certification bodies and associated laboratories and to limit the costs of those agreements.
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- Product per product, to issue basic agreements between all the EFSG members and their associated laboratories for the tests which can be accepted by every involved certification body (for instance, environmental tests). This can lead to rapid reduction of costs.
- Today EFSG has 8 members (AFNOR (F), BRE-LPC (UK), CNPP (F), FuP (D), ICIM (I),
SBSC (S), SI (CH) and VdS (D). It is open to all the certification bodies operating in the Europe and complying with the quality EFSG requirements.
- To encourage bilateral or multilateral agreements for mutual recognition of tests between EFSG members and associated laboratories. Those agreements would be in addition to those included in the basic agreements, if they exist.
- Those agreements would include the mutual recognition of the same tests in the same field, object of other recognition agreements already signed or to sign afterwards by the members.
- After having applied to the CB-owner of the certification mark required – the manufacturer will be free to specify which of the Laboratories having signed the agreement, would prefer to carry out testing covered by the mutual recognition.
Remark: The laboratory is free to reject the testing work, e. g. because of overload of work.
Advantages of the voluntary certification
Voluntary certification includes the regulatory regime, when it
exists, plus:
- Eventual additional specifications
- Specific quality system of conformity assessment of the certification system
Then, for the relevant products, when the manufacturers get the certification mark, they get also the relevant CE marking but the reverse is not true, even if the CE marking is given in reference with the same
standards.
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