SINTEF Certification

SINTEF Product Certificate (PS)

 

Accredited product certification for ladders and scaffolding
Product and production control
Use of Certification mark for SINTEF Product Certificate
Validity
 Publishing
Alternative to product certificate
Application for certification
 
 

What is Sintef Product Certificate?

SINTEF Product Certificate is a voluntary Norwegian certification scheme. The SINTEF product certificate may be issued for construction products that do not have a CE marking and CPR certificate, and states that the product is in conformity with a national or international product standard or other technical specification, and that production is subject to ongoing quality control.
SINTEF Product Certificate is issued for both construction products produced in Norway and for imported products.
 
SINTEF Product Certificate is issued for both construction products produced in Norway and for imported products.
 
 
 

Requirements in the legislation on documentation of construction products

Regulations on documentation of construction products (DOK) require documentation of product properties that are relevant to the basic requirements for building structures:
  • Mechanical resistance and stability
  • Safety in case of fire
  • Hygiene, health and environment
  • Safety and accessibility in use
  • Protection against noise
  • Energy economy and heat retention
  • Sustainable use of natural resources
 
Manufacturers of construction products will provide the necessary documentation of the properties of the products. 
 
Products without CE marking must have product documentation that corresponds to what is required for CE marking of similar product types. SINTEF Product Certificate is one such documentation.
 

Requirements for certification of building materials

For CE-marked construction products, requirements for certification of the product (System 1 or 1+), or certification of the production control (System 2+) are given in the harmonized product standard or in ETA. 
 
For non-CE marked construction products, the Guidelines to Regulations on documentation of construction products (DOK) assume a corresponding certification when the products have virtually the same function as products where the relevant product standard or ETA requires certification.
 
Section 12 of the Guidelines stipulates that requirements for certification of the following building materials are:
 
  • Prefabricated building modules - System 1
  • Wet room boards - System 2+
  • Radon membranes - System 1
  • Prefabricated bathroom modules - System 1
  • Fire retardent paints - System 1
  • Products in contact with drinking water - System 1+
 
To promote and sell building materials as mentioned above, product certification is required according to the specified system.
 
In order to meet the requirements for certification of such construction products, SINTEF offers preparation of ETA (European Technical Assessment), SINTEF Technical Approval or SINTEF Product Certificate.
 
Contact us at e-mail certification@sintef.no if you want to get your construction products certified.
 

Products that can be certified 

There is a basis for certifying a product if there is either a Norwegian, European or international standard; or technical specification for the product type. A product can be certified by one or more standards, or parts of a standard. SINTEF Product Certificate cannot be issued for products where a CPR certificate and CE marking is required. For such products we can issue a SINTEF Technical Approval if the customer so desires.
 

SINTEF AS is a technical inspection and certification body

SINTEF Community is accredited by Norwegian Accreditation for the certification of products covered by the EU Construction Products Regulation. SINTEF Community is also designated as technical inspection body by the Norwegian building authorities (Directorate for Building Quality (DiBK)), with identification number 1071, to make conformity assessment of products within more than 30 product areas according to the Building Product Regulation. Product certification follows the guidelines in NS-EN ISO / IEC 17065: 2012 "Compliance assessment - Requirements for certification bodies for products, processes and services", and includes certification of products and products' production processes. The designation of SINTEF AS as a technical inspection body has been published in the EU Commission's NANDO base.
 

Certification of components in contact with drinking water

Metallic products and components that come into contact with drinking water must be tested for leaching of lead and cadmium according to NKB product regulations 4 to obtain SINTEF Product Certificate.  Regulations on technical requirements for construction works (TEK) sets requirements for maximum content of lead and cadmium in components that are in contact with drinking water to ensure that drinking water meets Norwegian requirements. Examples of products in contact with drinking water are water taps, pipes, valves and couplings.
 
Water tap for drinking water. Photo: SINTEF
 

Basis for certification

Product certificates are issued on the basis of test results, calculations and other verification of the properties of the construction product, as specified in the relevant technical specification.
 
Testing, calculation and verification must be carried out by a neutral body that can be accepted by SINTEF.
 

Accredited product certification for ladders and scaffolding

Ladders and scaffolding products which are covered by the Norwegian Producer Responsibility Regulations (Produsentforskriften) chapter 4 have a requirement for product certification. The regulation is amed toeards those who are designing, producing, importing, marketing, selling, lending out, renting out or using the products which are being covered by the regulation. The requirement of product certification in the regulation also applies to scaffolding components, step ladders, trestles and edge protection products.
Product certification for ladders, scaffolding and edge protection products in accordance with the Norwegian Producer Responsibility Regulations replace type approvals from the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority in 2016. The former type approvals have now, with a few exceptions, expired. In order to sell these products on the Norwegian market, a product certificate in accordance with the Norwegian Producer Responsibility Regulations § 4-5 is required. SINTEF is accredited for certification in accordance with Chapter 4 of the Producer Responsibility Regulations and can issue such a certificate.
 
 Certain product types which previously required a type approval from the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority, are defined as construction products, and are thus covered by the Norwegian Regulations on documentation of construction products (DOK). This applies to product types such as roof ladders, installations for roof access, roof safety hooks, and wall ladders that are permanently fixed to a building.
 
 The first three of these product types require CE marking, a declaration of performance (DoP) and laboratory testing performed by a notified body. In Norway, the DoP must be in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish language. Wall ladders do not require CE marking, but must meet the requirement in Chapter III of the Regulations on documentation of construction products (DOK). Other products like non-fixed ladders, edge protection products and scaffolding products require a type approval or a product certificate under the Producer Responsibility Regulations as written above.
 
The Norwegian Producer Responsibility Regulations states that:
 
  • The certificate shall be in Norwegian language and contain information about the issuer of the certificate, certificate number, name of manufacturer, name of supplier, product name, product type, type of material in load-carrying components and confirmation that the requirements in Sections 4-1 to 4-4 have been met, and that any relevant standards have been complied with.
  • Instructions for installation and use must be in Norwegian language, and must contain information about load class, foundations, assembly and erection, use, inspection, removal, maintenance, repair and scrapping criteria.
  • The instructions for installation must specify how the different components are to be assembled, reinforced, and anchored.
  • Work equipment certified pursuant to Section 4-5 shall be durably and clearly marked with the name of the issuer of the certificate, certificate number, name of the manufacturer or registered trademark and production year.

To start the certification process, the following must be in place:
  • Invoice and contact information for applicants for the SINTEF Product Certificate.
  • Completed application form for a SINTEF Product Certificate.
  • Name of product, installation instructions and overview / list of all components (name, number, drawing and dimensions) that are to be included in the certificate.
  • Available competence to do calculations of scaffolding systems in accordance with to EN 12810-1.
  • Overview / list of any existing test reports and calculation reports, including reference to which standard the documentation applies to.
Preparation of the necessary test reports and calculation reports is not part of the certification process and is performed separately. The guidance to Section 4-1 in the Producer Responsibility Regulations specifies relevant product standards for ladders and scaffolding. The technical requirements in these must be met in any test reports and calculation reports. The guidance can be found in the Norwegian language here by clicking on "Arbeidstilsynets kommentar". SINTEF normally accepts test reports from laboratories accredited for the relevant test method. If you request SINTEF to perform the laboratory testing, please contact our laboratory in Oslo by email Community.Lab.Oslo@sintef.no.
 
If you wish to proceed with a SINTEF Product Certificate, the application form can be found here. The costs related to product certification is dependent on the type of product to be certified and the documentation available for the product. To keep costs down, it is important that the supporting documentation is valid and in accordance with requirements and relevant product standards. You will receive more detailed cost information in dialog with SINTEF Community. More information related to the application process can be found here.
 
When we receive the application, we will appoint a project manager who will contact you to arrange an information meeting where information from the applicant and the certification process will be reviewed. Evaluation of documentation will only start when a written agreement has been entered.

Product and production control

 All products with SINTEF Product Certificate are subject to a monitoring product and production control.

 
SINTEF, or another accredited inspection body, monitors the production control by inspecting the production site. For some product types, the control also includes sampling the product to verify that the product conforms to the technical specification in the product certificate.
 
If the manufacturer has a certified quality system, e.g. according to the ISO 9000 series, the audit of the quality system is coordinated with the monitoring production control as far as possible.
 

Use of Certification mark for SINTEF Product Certificate

 
Holders for SINTEF Product Certificate will receive a certificate mark from SINTEF Certification. See example of certification label below.
 
Example of certification mark for SINTEF Product Certificate.
 
The certification mark for SINTEF Product Certificate may be used by the manufacturer on the product, packaging and for marketing purposes. Use of the certification mark to show that the product is certified may be done by marking the product directly, or by displaying the label in brochures and other type of marketing (ads, web, letters etc.). The certification mark can only be used in directly association with the certificated product. The label must not be used in a way that may give the impression that other not certified products from same supplier/producer is also covered by the certificate. SINTEFs logo must not be used.
 
If the period of validity expires, or the certificate is withdrawn, the use of the certification mark and other reference to the SINTEF Product Certificate must cease immediately. 
 
 

Validity

A SINTEF Product Certificate has ongoing validity but is formally renewed at least every five years. A contract is signed between SINTEF AS and the holder, and follow-ups are made to check any revision of the certificate e.g. in case of changes in the product, production or other matters that are of significance to the certificate. If the changes are significant, the certificate is withdrawn.
 

Publishing

Holders of SINTEF Product Certificate may multiply their certificates as needed. The certificates are published on www.sintefcertification.no.
 
You can search for product certificates in several ways:
  • Using box at the top right of the page. Here you can search with the name of the holder of the product certificate, the product name, the certificate number or the product type.
  • Searching the lists that are sorted by product types and holders.  

Alternative to product certificate

If there is no standard or other technical specification within the product area, or if a more comprehensive product documentation is required (e.g. documentation of special properties, specification of areas of use, conditions for use, etc.), a SINTEF Technical Approval may also be issued for construction products.
 
SINTEF Technical Approval is particularly relevant for composite systems. For example, water-based floor heating systems. One can issue product certificates for many of the components in a floor heating system, but with a SINTEF Technical Approval one can document the system as a whole. With a SINTEF Technical Approval, the system is also assessed in relation to requirements in Regulations on technical requirements for construction works (TEK).
 

Application for certification 

 
Application documentation is numbered and entered as an attachment in the form. Application forms and supporting documents, such as test and calculation reports, brochures, assembly instructions and data sheets, are attached as an attachment in e-mail and sent to certification@sintef.no , or by letter to SINTEF Certification, Postboks 124 Blindern, 0314 Oslo