Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993)Code of PracticeNational Code of Practice for Electrical Machinery in Hazardous LocationsRegulatory requirements for explosion-protected apparatus5. Approved standards, test laboratories and certification bodies |
NOTE An organization (for example, company or Group of companies) may often offer testing as well as certification services. The independence of these services is ensured by the accreditation process.
| 5.1 | General |
| 5.1.1 | Annex B refers to the standards and test laboratories for the testing and certification of explosion-protected apparatus, and annex C lists approved certification bodies and their certification markings. |
| 5.1.2 | The accreditation of the test laboratory shall incorporate the standard or standards to which assessment and testing have been done, unless the relevant regulator approves, in writing, a limited period of approval for such tests to be carried out until accreditation has been completed by the government-endorsed accreditation body (see foreword). An authenticated copy of a test report issued by the test laboratory that indicates such accreditation can normally be considered as sufficient proof of accreditation. |
| 5.1.3 | The application of the certification mark associated with a product certification scheme to a unit can normally be considered as sufficient proof of production of the unit under the scheme. An authenticated copy of the scheme certificate covering the apparatus shall also be provided. In the case of batch testing, an authenticated copy of the batch test report shall be provided (see 4.2). |
| 5.1.4 | The date publication of the standard or any amendment against which the testing is conducted, may not be older than 10 years. |
| 5.2 | Validity of certification |
| 5.2.1 | Certification of Ex equipment may become invalid or re-certification may be desirable due to various reasons. For example, standards are subject to change to upgrade the protection they offer, on a regular basis. Further, modifications may render equipment unsafe. |
| 5.2.2 | The rules established by the relevant national departments (see foreword) with regards to the validity of certification shall be as specified in annex A. |