Testing laboratories
Safety through testing and certification
In its 30 years of existence, IECEE has established an unsurpassed worldwide reputation for the testing and certification of electrical and electronic equipment.
The work of testing laboratories
The operating units of the IECEE are the national certification bodies (NCBs). They in turn employ testing laboratories, known as CB testing laboratories (CBTLs).
There are three main categories of tests that a laboratory may perform:
Type tests
Are performed by an accepted testing laboratory on representative samples of the product and are usually destructive. They are comprehensive and comply with relevant standards.
Routine tests
Are performed by the manufacturer on each appliance and are non-destructive. They are limited and intended to reveal unacceptable variations in the material of manufacture.
Field tests (market surveillance)
Are performed by inspectors on random samples taken from the market and are limited and non-destructive.
Certification
Why certification?
While the IEC supports all three forms of Conformity Assessment (CA), the IEC CA Systems are based on 3rd-party CA. They provide independent testing and certification to ensure the safety, reliability and performance of products and systems.
Third-party CA is independent of the seller and the buyer. It is usually called certification and provides the highest level of confidence. Certification is an independently-provided unbiased assurance of the safety of products and processes.
This CA is applied where a major market makes it cost-effective or where it is mandated by legislation. Since national certification bodies (NCBs) are usually for-profit companies it is also more expensive than first-party CA.
Benefits of IECEE third-party certification
The IECEE is a system for mutual recognition of certificates of conformity worldwide. It is also a tool for accessing global markets directly, when national authorities and regulators, retailers, buyers and vendors accept the CB test certificate and associate test report. This is moving towards the goal of one test for global acceptance.
This system is accessible to anyone anywhere, including in non-IEC member countries.