THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCREDITATION IN MACHINE CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES
Nowadays, conformity assessment activities in machines have changed. This is mainly due to developing technology and increasingly important standards. As Szutest Machinery Department, we call this process new generation machine conformity assessment activities.
Based on this context, an institution that carries out machine conformity assessment activities must first be accredited by the European Commission and then by our accreditation body, the Turkish Accreditation Agency, which is affiliated with our relevant ministry. Therefore, the notified body carries out and reports the necessary examinations and tests regarding the standards under the regulation for which it is accredited. Based on this logic, services such as PL verification and ESPE measurements performed within the scope of EN 13849-1 and EN 13855 standards, which have become increasingly important on machines recently, should also be performed by organizations accredited in the relevant regulation.
The importance of accreditation in machinery conformity assessment activities should be considered from several aspects.
Reliability and Trust: An accredited organization has a structure that independently verifies compliance with a certain standard or guideline and gives credibility to this verification. Therefore, assessment results by an accredited organization are generally considered more reliable.
Legal and Regulatory Compliance: In some countries, testing and certification by accredited organizations are required to evaluate certain products or processes. Accreditation is important to comply with such legal and regulatory requirements.
International Acceptance and Recognition: Accredited organizations generally operate in accordance with international standards and thus have the advantage of being recognized and accepted internationally. This may facilitate the entry of products or processes into international markets.
Quality and Process Management: The accreditation process can help organizations improve their processes and quality management systems. Accreditation criteria can provide organizations with a framework for continuous improvement and strengthening quality assurance systems.
Consumer and Corporate Trust: Certifications or reports issued by an accredited organization can create a reliable reference for consumers and other business partners. This can provide an advantage in market competition and increase customer satisfaction.
Potential harms of non-accredited organizations performing conformity assessment on machines may include:
Reliability Issues: There may be doubts about the reliability of evaluations made by non-accredited organizations. These organizations may not be able to fully implement quality control procedures required by certain standards or guidelines.
Legal Issues: In some countries, testing and certification by accredited organizations are legally required to evaluate certain products or machines. Certificates issued by a non-accredited organization may not be valid for legal compliance and this may lead to legal problems.
Deficiencies in Quality Standards: Non-accredited organizations may be inadequate to ensure compliance with national or international quality standards. This may result in products or machines not meeting expected standards in terms of safety, performance and quality.
Cost Increase and Inefficiency: Documents obtained as a result of the certification or evaluation processes of non-accredited organizations may not be accepted in international markets. This can make commercial acceptance of products or machines difficult and therefore lead to increased costs or operating inefficiencies.
Loss of Customer Trust: Certificates or evaluation reports issued by a non-accredited organization may cause loss of trust in customers. Customers may have concerns about the conformity of products or machines to certain standards, which may negatively affect sales.
When a notified body carries out conformity assessment activities on machines, it does not care which brand or model of components the manufacturer or designer uses. What he is interested in is whether that component has undergone a conformity assessment activity or not. An accredited notified body does not pursue any purpose other than conformity assessment activity.
As a result, accreditation in machine conformity assessment activities brings many important advantages such as reliability, legal compliance, international acceptance, quality management and consumer confidence. Therefore, it is important to consider these factors when researching and evaluating an organization’s accreditation. Conformity assessment of machines by non-accredited organizations may cause problems in important areas such as reliability, legal compliance, quality standards and customer confidence. For this reason, choosing accredited organizations in conformity assessment processes will generally be a healthier and more reliable approach.
İbrahim Aydeniz
SZUTEST Machinery Department Manager