CE Marking

The European Commission formulated in its "New Approach" policy the basic political conditions for trade in the Single European Market. Under the terms of that policy it limits its function to specifying in European Directives the essential safety requirements and to referring to other sources, as a rule to European Standards, for the detailed technical specifications by which these requirements may be met. Safety requirements for building products are always defined with reference to such technical specifications as European Standards or technical approvals.

Products that comply with these standards are generally presumed to meet the essential requirements with respect to safety, health and environmental protection. This compliance is documented by the CE-marking which is affixed by the manufacturer directly to the product.

Which measures are to serve to attest conformity may be variously regulated by law. They range from the manufacturer's declaration of conformity to the verification of conformity (testing and assessment) by independent bodies that must be notified by the EU Commission.

DIN CERTCO has been accredited by the ZLS (Central Agency of the Laender for Safe Technology) and has further been notified by the European Commission as a testing and certification body (Notified Body, Reg.-No. 0196). As an independent body, it awards the EC type examination certificate for selected products in connection with the following Directives:

• Personal Protective Equipment (89/686/EEC)

Within the framework of the CE marking of products that are covered by the above Directives and which are required to undergo type examination before they can be placed on the market in Europe, the products concerned are tested by independent laboratories that have been recognised by DIN CERTCO on the basis of a ZLS accreditation.

DIN CERTCO assesses the products on the strength of test reports and issues EC type examination certificates when the result of the assessment is positive. In some cases, an assessment of the production phase of manufacture is required. DIN CERTCO performs attribute or random sample testing for selected products.