GENERAL INFORMATION AND GUIDE TO SERVICES
(Including General Terms and Conditions)
General Information & Guide to Services (P01) 
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Range of Services
Our foundation is firmly based in product certification of equipment intended for use in hazardous atmospheres, in its many forms, but we have developed a range of complimentary services over recent years that provide added value for existing customers and also enable us to bring our expertise to the service of a new range of customers.
We are pleased to offer the following services:
Services under the ATEX Directive 94/9/EC
Unlike some European Notified Bodies, we have a full notification from the UK Government for all activities within the scope of the ATEX Directive and can offer conformity assessment in respect of all the modules of the directive. However, for practical purposes, our activities mainly fall into five categories:
1. EC-Type Examination:
The comparison of the design specification of a product against the requirements of a standard specification, informed by physical examination of a sample and the performance of tests as may be necessary according to the particular standard.
A Type Examination Certificate makes a statement (without time limitation) that is true on the day it is issued and refers to compliance of the design as specified by the certificate. Although the certificate, itself, is issued without time limitation, its usefulness may be time limited by other factors related to the preparation of the Declaration of Conformity which must accompany each item of equipment and must be current on the date the equipment is dispatched. (See P03.)
Note: The prime activity of type examination is the collation of evidence confirming compliance with the specified standard. The evidence will often include the results of tests performed in our own laboratory or in another laboratory that can, probably through accreditation, demonstrate equivalent traceability, along with data sheets for material and components. Drawings, often prepared specifically for the certification exercise, are the primary source of information. The output is a report, confirming the evidence of compliance, and the certificate, defining what has been certified. The certificate will normally be a "public domain" document, but the report is a confidential document between us and our customer. There will, however, be the possibility that we are required to reveal the contents of the report, and the drawings, to appropriate legal bodies (such as the European Commission in connection with EU Directives) and to our accreditors.
2. Production Quality Assurance:
The comparison of the manufacturers quality management system against the relevant general requirements of ISO 9001 and the more specific requirements of the quality system standard (EN 13980) for the particular products manufactured under the ATEX Directive, backed up by a system of regular auditing and sample product surveillance from production.
The Quality Assurance Notification (specific term for the ATEX Directive) is a time limited document, subject to renewal at defined intervals (normally three years), dependant on the results of continuing audits and product surveillance. A Quality Assurance Notification permits the manufacturer to apply the European Union Notified Body Number (1180 for Baseefa) to manufactured product. (See P05.)
3. Product Verification:
The comparison of an individual manufactured product against a standard specification, or a design specification, by physical examination and possibly by performance of tests (if the standard calls for routine testing).
A Product Verification Certificate makes a statement (without time limitation) that is true on the day it is issued and refers to the condition of the examined product at that time, normally identifying the certified items by serial number. (See P04.)
Note: For most purposes, Production Quality Assurance and Product Verification are alternative ways of satisfying the requirements of the directive and the most appropriate method will be chosen according to the circumstances of the manufacturer, the number of items to be manufactured, etc.
4. Retention of Technical Files:
In common with many EU Directives, the ATEX Directive places requirements on the storage of manufacturers Technical Files, including when a Notified Body is not involved in their preparation.
Baseefa offers a retention service to meet the legal requirements of the directive, as well as non-mandatory file review services. (See P06.)
5. ATEX Voluntary Services:
The module Internal Control of Production does not mandate the intervention of a Notified Body so we are unable to issue EC-Type Examination Certificates for equipment subject to this module (Category 2 non-electrical equipment and all Category 3 equipment). However, we find that many manufacturers and purchasers of such equipment find the provision of some form of certification useful.
Accordingly, in our role as an accredited certification body, rather than as a Notified Body, we are pleased to offer Type Examination Certification on a voluntary basis. The process is identical to EC Type Examination and gives the same degree of confidence in the product. We can also add such certificates to the surveillance process and they are shown in the Annex to the QAN document as being controlled on a voluntary basis, although we make no requirement that this should happen.
Where a manufacturer wishes a third party input but without going for certification, we can perform a review of the manufacturers technical file where we will check the claims for reasonableness without performing our own testing or double checking the source of the information.
IECEX Product Certification
Baseefa is one of the major bodies participating in the international certification scheme and has, for a number of years, issued more international certificates than any other body in the scheme.
Unlike ATEX, where the formal document of conformity is a declaration by the manufacturer, the IECEx Scheme is based around a certificate issued by the IECEx Certification Body (ExCB) and published via the internet on the IECEx web site. This is publicly available and its issue status can be checked in real time.
The process for creating an IECEx Test Report (ExTR) is similar to the ATEX Type Examination Process and since the relevant IEC standards are now published as European Standards in support of ATEX, the technical requirements are identical.
The IECEx Production Quality Assurance process is also almost identical to that for ATEX, with the output being a Quality Assessment Report (QAR). The technical requirements are given in an internal scheme document but this is firmly based on EN 13980 so there are no compatibility problems.
When both the ExTR and QAR are in place, we can publish the IECEx Certificate of Conformity on the IECEx web site. For most of our customers it is worthwhile proceeding with both ATEX and IECEx certification simultaneously.
IECEx Service Facility Certification
Ex Equipment, once installed, may need to be removed and subject to overhaul or repair. The IECEx Scheme has recognised a demand for certification of the capability and competence of facilities carrying out this type of work. We are pleased to offer all services within this scheme.
General Testing Services
Our laboratory has all the specialist test equipment necessary for performing the specific tests relevant to Ex Equipment but we also have more general capabilities for which we hold UKAS Accreditation. These facilities are often made available for use outside the Ex context (for example a general Ingress Protection (IP) test on an enclosure) and we supply certificates of test, confirming compliance with a single (or more) test requirement.
IEC 61508 Services
We are pleased to be able to offer a complementary service for those manufacturers whose products are destined for integration into an "Electrical / Electronic / Programmable Electronic Safety System" designed in accordance with the requirements of IEC 61508, and its derivatives such as IEC 61511. Although the standard approaches "reliability" from a different direction, there are many common factors that enable us to add 61508 considerations whilst certifying the Ex protection concepts of equipment.
Services to the user and installer
No matter how carefully equipment is designed and manufactured, it can still be rendered "dangerous" by the way it is installed or used. In Europe, these aspects are controlled by the ATEX User Directive 1999/92/EC, enacted as part of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR) in the UK.
We can help with plant zoning exercises, equipment inspection and all related activities. Although initially offered in the European context, most of the standards and related industry specifications are accepted throughout the world and we do have customers outside Europe.
Advice, Training and Competency
We offer a wide range of training courses, delivered both at our training facility in Buxton and at our customers premises. Some of the courses are followed by a competency test and all courses are delivered in accordance with our status as an IET endorsed training provider.
For information on the range of courses available and for the current scheduled dates of courses to be held at Buxton, please view the appropriate page on our web site.
Where a more specific requirement exists, we offer a dedicated Technical Advice Service, with face to face meetings with our staff who will be able to guide you through how various standards might apply to your product and help you to evaluate the options that are open to you.
How we interface with our Customers
We wish to make using our services as simple as possible, and avoid administrative procedures adding any delay to the progress of your work. However, the fact that we are a certification body does mean that we have to follow certain guidelines laid down in the accreditation standards and by The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) who are responsible for accrediting most of what we do.
In common with all certification bodies, we are obliged to operate a commercial regime that avoids the possibility that we might come under financial pressure to issue certification where we do not have the technical basis for so doing. For this reason, we cannot operate a payment regime that relies on payment on delivery of a certificate. This is recognised in the UK Regulations implementing 94/9/EC where it is stated that Notified Bodies have a right to insist on full payment before commencing work on a certification project. However, we are well enough aware of our customers needs to minimise payments in advance, so we will normally prepare quotations for work on a stage payment basis. Small projects, where we do not need the formality of a full quotation, have a simple payment regime which will vary according to the established payment record of each customer.
A number of our standard terms and conditions come directly from the accreditation standards and we are not in a position to vary them for individual customers.
By asking you to complete an initial Customer Registration Document (REG1) we are able to comply with the accreditation requirements whilst simplifying the process for each subsequent project. If, in completing the registration, you request the facility, we will accept instructions from you on individual projects using e-mail, with an appropriate password code to maintain some measure of security. You also have the opportunity to register an agent, who can deal with us on your behalf.
A copy of our formal Terms and Conditions is attahed to form REG1. Additional Terms and Conditions apply to some of our services and further details are given in the relevant publication.
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