EU CERTIFICATION

Since 1994 RICOTEST is the European Notified Body N. 0498 for the Certification of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as footwear, gloves, clothes, protectors and helmets. At this link you can see the notification on the NANDO System of the European Commission (based on our ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation) which authorizes RICOTEST to issue Certificates.

PPE are subject to the Regulation (EU) 2016/425, which replaced the Directive 89/686/EEC on April 2018.

AUTENTICITY OF RICOTEST’S TEST REPORT AND CERTIFICATES

Increasingly often it happens to come across counterfeit or completely fake documents; since 2012 Ricotest’s Test Reports and Certificates have been issued exclusively in electronic pdf format with digital signature. It is important to always require only the original pdf file of these documents and not only a scanned or hard copy, in this way it is possible to verify its authenticity by clicking on the properties of the digital signature and checking that:

the signature is valid: however, this depends on the updated status of the reliable signature list of the device on which the file is displayed;
the wording “the document has not been modified after the signing” appears.

FAQ – CERTIFICATION

What is it?

It is a mandatory Certification that certain products (to which a European Directive or Regulation refers) must have in order to be placed onto the European Market. The Certificate is a document issued by a European Notified Body attesting that a product meets the essential health and safety requirements of the related Directive/Regulation.

In the case of PPE, the requirements are those set out in Annex II of Directive 686/89/CEE – EU Regulation 2016/425.

The verification of the requirements is made throughout the product tests (type-examination) and control of technical documentation: projects, technical files, instructions for use, CE marking.

How do you get it?

It is obtained after the passing of testing under the relevant harmonized standards, if presents, and with the approval of the technical file.

Ricotest Certification Conditions that explain the following information can be demanded at info@ricotest.com:

Manufacturers and Ricotest’s rights and duties;
How to obtain, extend, suspend, revoke the Certification;
The terms that lead to a possible refusal to proceed with the certification;
The procedure for submitting complaints, appeals and the procedure about their management;
The policy and commitment to safeguarding impartially.

How much does it cost?

The cost to certify a PPE consists of:

cost of laboratory tests
cost for document examination and certificate issuance

The cost of the tests depends on various factors:

product construction (number / type of materials / components) –
quantity (base/variant models, sizes, colors …)
reference standards (number and type of mandatory / optional tests)
quality of the technical file: greater precision / in the descriptions and material references with univocal codes allows to perform fewer tests

Technical documentation examination:

number of reviews: complete and correct technical documentation saves time and therefore costs
number of reference standards
product type

How long does it take to get it?

The time required to obtain the Certification depends on 2 factors:

– as far as the tests are concerned, on the type/number of products (base/variant models, size range), and the number of tests to be performed;

– as far as the documental check is concerned, on the completeness/accuracy of the documentation submitted by the applicant.

After the succesfull test results, a few days may be enough to get the Certificate, provided that the documentation is correct and complete.

When does it expire?

A Certificate is based on reference Standards: its validity is no longer ensured should a new version of the standards come into force.

When the presumption of conformity of the old harmonized standard ceases, the Certificate should be updated in accordance with the new Standard version.

EU Certificates (Module B) based on the EU Regulation 2016/425 have a maximum validity period of 5 years.

III category certificates shall be reconfirmed by the annual surveillance (Module C2).

What kind of products do we certify?