Laboratory Certification Procedure

According to PB 03-372-00 (section XI).

1. For certification, the laboratory (the organization to which the laboratory belongs) sends the application in the prescribed form (Appendix 3) to the independent certification body of the NK laboratories (hereinafter referred to as the independent body) or publishes it on the website..

2. The application for certification from the applicant must be registered. The applicant must be notified of receipt of applications. Based on the applications, the complexity of the performance of work on certification is determined.

3. To carry out work on consideration of documents, verification of the applicant and compilation of a report on the results of consideration of documents and verification of the applicant, the Independent Body forms an expert commission.

4. An independent body may include freelance experts and consultants in the panel of experts.

5. The commission is headed by a chairman who is a full-time employee of an independent body.

6. Consideration of documents.

6.1. Consideration of documents can be combined with the verification of the applicant and the preparation of the report.

6.2. Consideration of documents submitted by the applicant is carried out for their sufficiency and completeness of content. The term for consideration of documents should not exceed 10 days.

6.3. An independent body has the right to demand missing information, which must be submitted within one month. In case of failure to provide the missing information, the Independent Authority has the right to suspend work on certification of the NDT laboratory.

7. Verification of the applicant.

7.1. Verification of the applicant is carried out directly at the location of the applicant. An independent body must agree with the applicant the timing of the verification work.

7.2.During the audit, the applicant provides the expert commission with the necessary conditions for its work, provides the necessary materials, documents (including regulatory) and the means of the NDT.

7.3. An on-site expert commission checks the compliance of the information provided with the actual state.

8. Review of certification results.

8.1. After completion of work on consideration of documents and verification of the applicant, the expert commission, within a period not exceeding three days, draws up a certification report (Appendix 4), including information on the degree of organizational and technical readiness of the applicant to perform work in the declared field of certification, as well as proposals on certification or refusal to certify the applicant.

8.2. The report, application for certification and other documents received in the process of performing the work, the expert commission passes to the Independent Authority.

9. Decision-making.

9.1. Decisions on certification issues are taken by the Certification Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Commission), which operates in the Independent Body and holds meetings at least twice a month. The Commission’s work regulations should provide for the possibility of the presence of the applicant’s representatives at a meeting of the Commission.

The Commission makes decisions on the following issues:

- about the certification or denial of certification;

- by determining the applicant's certification area

- about the term and conditions of validity of the certificate of attestation;

- about periodic control during the validity period of the certification certificate;

- on cancellation of certification, expansion or restriction of the field of certification.

9.2. In case of a positive decision of the Commission, an Independent body, within a period not exceeding three days, issues a certificate of attestation (Appendix 5 ... 7), registers a certified laboratory (Appendix 8) and sends this information to the Coordinating Body for inclusion in the register (Appendix 8) , certificates of attestation are forms of strict reporting. The NDT laboratory is considered certified from the date of registration with the Independent Authority.

9.3. If the results of certification reveal inconsistencies with the certification criteria, which can be eliminated by the applicant without re-checking, the Commission approves the list of comments and the verification procedure for their elimination, prepared by the expert commission.

After the elimination of the comments, which should be officially confirmed by the applicant, the Commission re-examines the results of the certification and makes a decision.

9.4. When the Commission makes a decision to refuse certification, cancel certification or limit the scope of certification of the applicant, the Independent Body shall notify the applicant in writing.

9.5. The certification period should not exceed three months from the moment the Independent Body receives the necessary documents. The NDT laboratory is subject to certification in accordance with these Rules if it is newly established or the validity of a previously valid certificate or license has expired.

9.6. The NDT laboratory can be certified for a period of not more than three years.