Certifications

It must he noticed that most certification systems are specifically aimed at the evaluation of compostability. These are also the most successful certification systems. Other systems however are related to environmental fate and safety, e.g., the Japanese GreenPla), or to biodegradation in soil or water, e.g., OK Biodegradable). 

The intensive work on international standards related to the biodegradability of plastics is an important and vital element in market development and breakthrough of these materials. Still, this is only the first step in communication and build-up of credibility. The next step is an independent and reliable third party certification system linked to a logo. The certification body is needed to evaluate the often complex information and make a correct judgement on the overall characteristics of a given material. In a way, one could see it as standards being the theory and certification systems turning the theory into practice. 

Over the last 20 years, several certification systems for industrial compostability have been started. In Enrope, the two major systems are the Seedling logo and the OK Compost logo while in the USA the BPI logo is best known. Attempts have been made to achieve mutual recognition bnt have not been successful so far. 

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Currently, the elaboration of methods for the objective control of the authenticity of important documents, such as passports, securities, licenses, certificates, identification cards, etc., is being intensively developed. 

The Zond VD - 96 portable eddy-current flaw detector-tester is an original Russian development possessing heightened sensitivity for the surface defects and high inspection capacity. (Russia patent Xs 2063025. All-Union state standard certificate of Russian Federation JVa 2846 of 14. 07. 97)... 

It is particularly in the serial inspection of castings, that radioscopy constitutes state-of-the-art when applied in conjunction with systems for image intensification, digital image processing and automatic image evaluation. For the examination of welds, however, standardization is still non-existent, thus rendering more difficult the application of this inspection technique.As a consequence the approval procedures of the respective supervisory or certification boards are often complicated and of necessity set up for each individual case. 

The use of these techniques is an important element of industrial policy since they contribute to the creation of a business friendly regulatory environment allowing the combination of measures taken for internal organisational reasons and obligations of certification without lowering the level of safety to be achieved. Wlienever possible a choice between product control and quality assurance procedures is offered to manufacturers. 

As referred to above, most of the modules involve the intervention of a third party, the so-called notified bodies. These bodies are designated by Member States as being competent to carry out the certification tasks for which they are notified. As a precondition for their notification they must fulfil the minimum criteria which are set out in the relevant directives. These conditions vary from independence, impartiality and professional integrity, to technical competence, possession of or access to necessary facilities and to liability insurance. Once notified, the Commission publishes a list of all notified bodies in the Official Journal, It is worth noting that there is free competition between notified bodies and that manufacturers can make their own choice from all notified bodies notified within the European Union. 

As a general rule all products covered by the New Approach directives must bear the CE-marking which symbolises conformity of the products to the requirements of the directive including the relevant certification procedures. The main principles which are basic to the application of the CE-marking can be summarised as follows ... 

Technical requirements Sound engineering practice, essential requirements tarticle 3t The directive includes a particular technical requirement with respect to equipment which presents only a minor pressure hazard. For such equipment the essential requirements and the certification procedures are not applicable. Instead the so-called sound engineering practice of one of the Member States must be applied. That practice must ensure that design and manufacture takes into account all relevant factors influencing safety during the intended lifetime. The equipment must be accompanied with adequate instruetions for use and must bear the identification of the manufacturer. The CE-marking shall not be applied for such equipment. 

Certification of NDT personnel is mandatory in Belarus and is realised in compliance with CTB EH 473-95. 

Accepted NDT devices are entered in State register of mesurement equipment allowed for use on the territory of Belarus and the certificates of the device type are isssued. 

Later, US NDT TD set up the National Certification Committee of Ukraine on NDT, which had the aim of organising the personnel certification in keeping with EN 473, rendered assistance to State Standardisation Organisation of Ukraine in setting up the Technical Committee on Standardisation Technical Diagnostics and Non-Destructive Testing (TC-78), the aims of which are in tune with those of lSO/TC-135. 

Certification of the NDT personnel in industry for work performance on a specific technology is still largely based on the branch principle, i.e. the certification is performed by the industry branch commissions. 

In recent years, the three-level system of NDT experts certification, which corresponds to the EN 473, is being introduced m Ukraine The unified Rules of NDT Experts Certification will be introduced in the near future. This work is headed by the State Committee of Ukraine on Labour Safety), and with the aim of the most expedient transition to EN 473, the National Certification Committee of Ukraine on NDT was established by the initiative of US NDT TD. The Committee has the tasks of preparing the programs, procedures, questionnaires for carrying out the certification. It is a non-profit organisation which is in charge of the methodological issues of certification m the US NDT TD. 

Six certification centres are functioning in Ukraine at present in Kiev, Khar kov, Dmepropetrovsk, Zaporozhje, L vov and Ivano-Frankovsk The best known of them is the NDT Certification Centre at the E O.Paton Electric Welding Institute, which was the first one to receive, already in 1990, the licence of the USSR National Certification Committee for certification of the NDT experts. These certification centres have the right to grant levels I and II (according to EN 473), while level III can only be granted by the National Certification Committee. 

The work on standardisation in Ukraine is led by the State Committee of Ukraine on Standardisation, Metrology and Certification (Gosstandardt), All the USSR standards (GOSTs) are valid in Ukraine, and several dozens of them were elaborated in the NDT field. 

The Interbranch Educational Centre of Welding and Control and the Certification Centre on NDT, are functioning at the Institute... 

Training and Certification Using Eddy-Current Simulators on the Internet. 

S.A. Jenkins, G. Hughes - Current Enterprise, UK. CERTIFICATION/QUALIFICATION, PERSONNEL... 

Edcfy-cufrent NDT inspections using spatial data (sampled scans) ha >e many benefits. They separate the two conflicting aspects of an inspection scanning and signal interpretation. An instrument/display (client/server) based NDT inspection based on sampled scan data aides in the training and certification of inspectors. It can be used over the Internet or in-house Intranet networks to train or examine inspectors at multiple or remote sites. This saves travel time and resources as defects, instrumentation and teaching can all be consolidated Samples can be maintained and distributed from a central certification body providing more control andflexibility. 

Sampled scan data would be a benefit when it comes to certification of new inspectors or re-certification of existing staff. A large database of scans could be compiled and used randomly at test centres, which would help to avoid the samples becoming too familiar. Examinations could also be more easily tailored to the probes, types of materials and types of defects the inspector is likely to see. 

Sampled scan data can be used to improve certification, re-certification by providing a richer and more tailored environment and provides for inspection and inspector auditing... 

A final component of a quality control program is the certification of an analyst s competence to perform the analysis for which he or she is responsible. Before an analyst is allowed to perform a new analytical method, he or she may be required to successfully analyze an independent check sample with acceptable accuracy and precision. The check sample should be similar in composition to samples that the analyst will routinely encounter, with a concentration that is 5 to 50 times that of the method s detection limit. 

Internal methods of quality assessment should always be viewed with some level of skepticism because of the potential for bias in their execution and interpretation. For this reason, external methods of quality assessment also play an important role in quality assurance programs. One external method of quality assessment is the certification of a laboratory by a sponsoring agency. Certification is based on the successful analysis of a set of proficiency standards prepared by the sponsoring agency. For example, laboratories involved in environmental analyses may be required to analyze standard samples prepared by the Environmental Protection... 

Grademarking and certification—includes certification procedures performed by a qualified inspection and testing agency, and definitions of panel marking requirements... 

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The NIST is the source of many of the standards used in chemical and physical analyses in the United States and throughout the world. The standards prepared and distributed by the NIST are used to caUbrate measurement systems and to provide a central basis for uniformity and accuracy of measurement. At present, over 1200 Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) are available and are described by the NIST (15). Included are many steels, nonferrous alloys, high purity metals, primary standards for use in volumetric analysis, microchemical standards, clinical laboratory standards, biological material certified for trace elements, environmental standards, trace element standards, ion-activity standards (for pH and ion-selective electrodes), freezing and melting point standards, colorimetry standards, optical standards, radioactivity standards, particle-size standards, and density standards. Certificates are issued with the standard reference materials showing values for the parameters that have been determined. 

Until 1990 the EPA maintained a Hst of chemicals suitable for potable water treatment ia the United States. Siace then the entire question of certification and standards has been turned over to a group of organi2ations headed by the National Sanitation Eoundation, which has issued voluntary standards. As of January 1992, standards had been issued for most of the principal inorganic products, but only for two polymers, poly(DADMAC) and Epi-DMA (epichl orohydrin dimethyl amine) polymers (78). Certifications for commercial products meeting specified standards are issued by the National Sanitation Eoundation, Underwriter Laboratories, and Risk Eocus/Versar (79). 

Qualified for PURPA benefits, ie, only owners or operators of faciUties who cl aim qualifying status for PURPA benefits would make filings, some filings are submitted after the faciUties begin operation. FERC does not review notices of qualifying status, has not completed review of all Hsted appHcations for certification, and data provided in the filings are not verified by FERC inspection of the faciUties. 

Hair Coloring Regulation Issues. In the United States the classification of color additives is complex. Under the Federal Food, Dmg and Cosmetic Act, all cosmetic colors must be the subject of an approved color additive petition to the Food and Dmg Administration there is an exception for coal-tar colorants used to color hair. Based on the composition of these colorants, FDA can require a certification on each manufactured batch of colorant to assure conformance with the approved specifications. In the early 1990s FDA has required certification only for synthetically derived coal-tar type colors. Many of the approved color additives, both certified and noncertified, are restricted ia their potential use. These restrictions can be found ia the color additive regulations ia the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 73 and 74. 

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