Certification

The word „certification“ is derived from the Latin root „certus“, which means certain. „Certum facere“ – to make certain – is the origin of the word „certification“.

Certification

A procedure by which a third party gives written assurance that a product, process, or service conforms to specified requirements.

Certification body

The body carrying out the certification.

Third party

Person or body that is recognized as being independent of the parties involved, as concerns the issue in question.

Acronyms:

Acronym	Meaning
BGBI	Bundesgesetzblatt (Federal Law Gazette)
DIN	Deutsches Institut für Normung
EC	European Community
EN	Europäische Norm (European standard)
IEC	International Electrotechnical Commission
IMO	International Maritime Organization
ISO	International Organization for Standardization
SOLAS	International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea from 1974

In compliance with Council Directive 96/98/EC of 20 December 1996 on marine equipment, which entered into force on 17 February 1997 by publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities and transposition into German law in the Schiffssicherheitsgesetz (Ship Safety Act) of 18 September 1998, last amended on 19 December 2002 (BGBl I, p. 4690), theBSH, in 1998, since 01 March 2009BSH -Cert, was notified to the European Commission in Brussels as the body in charge ofEC conformity assessment procedures for navigation and radiocommunication equipment by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development. Instead of the national type testing and approval procedure used until then, theBSH -Cert now had to apply a uniformEC conformity assessment procedure at least for the equipment listed in Annex A.1 of the Directive.

The EC conformity assessment procedure consists of several modules:

Module B

EC type-examination (attestation of compliance with the relevant national and international standards (DIN, EN, ISO, IEC etc), IMO resolutions, and SOLAS regulations)

Module D

EC production quality assurance (description of examinations and tests carried out before, during and after manufacture, including their frequency)

Module E

EC product quality assurance (decription of examinations and tests carried out after manufacture, including their frequency (final product inspection and testing)

Module F

EC product verification (checking of products for conformity to type, either by statistical verification or examination and testing of every product by the notified body).

Module G

EC unit verification (applicable to products that are not manufactured in series)

The selection/combination of modules is made by the customer/manufacturer.

The following combinations are allowed: Modules B+D, B+E, B+F.

The EC unit verification according to module G cannot be combined with other modules.

Some information on the different assessment procedures (certification) for quality systems (modules D and E) is provided in the following.

Manufacturers may choose among the following quality assessment modules:

Module D (production quality assurance – manufacture, final-product inspection and testing:

Assessment and evaluation of the quality system by the notified body BSH-Cert. In case of approval, issue of the EC module D certificate. The quality system always applies to a particular type of equipment and requires the existence of a valid module-B certificate for that equipment. The manufacturer or his authorized representative is only allowed to affix the mark of conformity if he has both certificates.

Module E (product quality assurance – final product inspection and testing):

The approval of the quality system always applies to a particular type of equipment and requires the existence of a valid module-B certificate for that equipment.The manufacturer or his authorized representative is only allowed to affix the mark of conformity if he has both certificates.

The assessment procedure consists of the following phases:

Application phase:

• Inquiry
• Informational meeting (if requested by the customer)
• Filling in application form or EC conformity assessment (PDF- or WORD- file)
• Confirmation of the application, sending of a checklist (questionnaire) to ascertain status
• Agreement on procedure
   

Audit phase:

• Review of documentation submitted
• Selection of auditors
• If requested by customer, preliminary audit or discussion of subject at the customer
• Checking of quality system at the customer’s premises
• Audit report
• In case of deficiencies, proof that corrective measures have been taken
• If necessary, conduct of a post-audit
  

Assessment phase:

• Evaluation of results of the auditing phase
• Decision and issue of module D or E certificate

• Publication in the MarED database (database of the European Commission which is accessible on the Internet and contains the EC approved equipment that is in compliance with the Marine Equipment Directive)
  

Surveillance phase:

• The notified body BSH-Cert reserves the right to carry out periodical audits of approved quality systems. A period of 12 months between inspections normally should not be exceeded. Inspections may also include an assessment visit to the manufacturer’s premises. The cost of the audit/assessment shall be borne by the body assessed.
  

The procedure has been laid down in the certification rules for the product - certification (module B, G and F) (only in german) and for the quality assurance (only in german).
 

After the validity of the certification has expired, a new certification procedure may be carried out at the customer’s request. The customer in that case being known to the BSH-Cert, the scope of the procedure may be reduced. During and after the validity period, the scope of certification may be expanded at any time (e.g. inclusion of new items of equipment).

Certificated Manufacturer

List (only in german) of issued certifications by Notified Body BSH-Cert