Unit Verification Certificates - IECEx · Baseefa recommendation - ATEX The work for Unit...

Preview:

Citation preview

IEC SYSTEM FOR CERTIFICATIONTO STANDARDS RELATING TO EQUIPMENTFOR USE IN EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERES

Unit Verification Certificates

Ron Sinclair

The Baseefa Experience

What is Unit Verification ?

The certification of a defined item (or items) of equipment by serial number without the existence of a QAR

For IECEx purposes, also includes “Product Verification” as defined within ATEX

ATEX has two separate conformity assessment modules paralleling the single procedure in IECEx

2

ATEX 94/9/EC comparison

Annex III – EC-Type Examination

Annex IV – Production Quality Assurance

Annex V – Product Verification

Annex VI – Conformity to Type

Annex VII – Product Quality Assurance

Annex VII – Internal Control of Production

Annex IX – Unit Verification

3

ATEX 94/9/EC comparison

Top Level Documents

IECEx – Certificate of ConformityIssued by ExCB having considered both ExTR and QAR (Type 5 Certification)

ATEX – Declaration of ConformityIssued directly by the manufacturer without certification body (Notified Body) involvement (Not Type 5 Certification)Based on separate documents for different modules (May be EC-Type Examination Certificate + QAN)

4

ATEX 94/9/EC comparison

Unit Verification (single document)

Intended for single items or small numbers of items manufactured at the same time

Cannot be used for repeat orders

Documentation can be simplified“As built” drawings without tolerancesPhotographs

Every item fully tested and inspected

5

ATEX 94/9/EC comparison

Product Verification (two documents)

Chosen by some manufacturers as an alternative to Production QA

May be applied to repeated batches of items

EC-Type Examination Certificate (design) plus Product Verification Certificate (inspection and routine test of each item)

Type Examination documents as if for serial production with QAN (toleranced drawings)

6

Baseefa recommendation - ATEX

The work for Unit Verification is only slightly less than for EC-Type Examination plus Product Verification

Normally Unit Verification will be poorer value for money as the work cannot be carried forward easily for later production

Using the Product Verification route costs very little more and provides “future proofing”

Baseefa has one customer that gets a batch of about 15 items examined twice a year

7

Application within IECEx

Unit Verification Certificate introduced within the last year

Can do the equivalent of both ATEX modules as the split can be made at ExTR level to cover the equivalent of ATEX Unit Verification and ATEX Product Verification

8

Unit Verification

ExCB and ExTL issue a single ExTR

Contains all the Type Test and Assessment information

Contains the inspection information for all the individual items identified by serial number on the associated Unit Verification Certificate

IECEx Unit Verification Certificate issued listing single ExTR

9

Product Verification (equivalent)

ExCB and ExTL issue a “normal” ExTR covering the Type Tests and Assessments for the product

ExCB and ExTL issue a separate ExTR covering Routine Tests and Inspection records for each individual identified batch of equipment to be listed on the Unit Verification Certificate.

This can be repeated each time there is a new batch of equipment

10

Product Verification (continued)

IECEx Unit Verification Certificate issued listing both ExTRs

A new IECEx Unit Verification Certificate can be issued each time a batch of equipment is inspected and subjected to routine tests, based on the original “normal” ExTR plus a new ExTR for the inspection and routine test aspects

11

Baseefa Experience

Frequent use of the EC-Type Examination Certificate plus Product Verification route for ATEX

Single issued IECEx Unit Verification Certificate to date

Provides some useful discussion points

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Recommended