IECEE solution, what is it ?
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
© IEC 2015
Page 0 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
Welcome to the IEC e-learning course.
This is unit 3 of module 11.
The title of this unit is,
IECEE Solution, What is it ?
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 1 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
In unit 1 of this e-learning module, it was shown that the World Trade Organization had
achieved great advances towards freer world trade through its Technical Barriers to Trade
Agreement.
The problem was also shown that due to a lack of harmonization between countries, the
conformity assessment requirements of different countries were significantly different.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 2 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
Different conformity assessment requirements in different countries means doing many
different tests for the same product.
Worse than this, even when different countries do have the same conformity assessment
requirements, they very often do not recognize the result from a foreign country. This means
duplicate and redundant testing.
The result is higher costs with longer time to market which creates lower incentive to export
resulting in less world trade and less world prosperity.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 3 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
The solution is one standard, one test performed anywhere, one conformity assessment
result accepted everywhere.
This is what the IECEE largely achieves today.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 4 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
But what is the IECEE ?
The IECEE is an international conformity assessment System operated under the IEC.
IECEE stands for the IEC System for Conformity testing and Certification of Electrotechnical
Equipment and Components.
Or, for short, the IEC Electrical Equipment CA System, and often simply called the double E.
The IECEE exists to facilitate international trade.
It does this by simplifying access to international markets for manufacturers and suppliers.
Its activities apply to electrical equipment of all kinds.
Including household items, equipment for offices, electrical tools and hand tools for
workshops, health care equipment, industrial equipment, and much more.
The services that the IECEE provides bring benefits to consumers, industry and government
authorities, through safer and cheaper products, that reach markets sooner with lower cost
and less bureaucracy.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 5 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
The IECEE is a membership and rules based organization.
The members write the rules and they must abide by those rules.
There is one Member Body per country.
The IECEE is open to all certification bodies and test laboratories.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 6 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
The principles under which the IECEE operates combine to create confidence, credibility and
value.
The first principle is that the IECEE like the IEC itself is a non-profit organization.
The IECEE is neutral and has no bias towards or against any party.
It is rules based and transparent with those rules freely available.
It is market driven and only creates services that the market asks it to create.
The IECEE does not perform conformity assessment itself.
Rather, it creates an international framework in which commercial Certification Bodies and
Testing Laboratories can operate.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 7 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
The IECEE services are based on the principle of mutual recognition and acceptance of
certificates and test reports issued from within the CA System.
A Mutual Recognition Agreement is an international agreement by which two or more
organizations agree to recognize one another's conformity assessment results.
Recognition & reciprocal acceptance of certificates and test reports is a condition of
membership in the IECEE.
Another essential principle is peer assessment.
Peer Assessment of the Certification Bodies by other participating CBs, and of the Testing
Laboratories by other participating TLs, is the main tool for building confidence among
Members and participants of the IECEE.
Another condition of membership for National Member Bodies is that they base their national
technical requirements, or “National Mark” granting access to their national market, for listed
electrical products, on IECEE certificates.
This is important, because it essentially creates harmonized requirements across nations.
IECEE certificates are issued against conformity testing to IEC International Standards.
Member countries must adopt those IEC International Standards as National Standards, and
declare any national differences.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 8 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
The IECEE is a membership and rules based organization.
This is important, because it’s the members that write the rules and then they have to abide
by those rules.
The same is true for how the Certification Bodies and Testing Laboratories do their work
within the IECEE. They formulate and agree on their own operating procedures, and then
they apply them.
Peer assessment is not only used to check if Certification Bodies and Testing Laboratories
have the required skills and competencies to do certification and testing.
Peer assessment is also used to check if they know and understand the IECEE operating
rules.
And, more than this, they actually check if those operating rules are being followed.
It’s a lot more than a simple audit.
And the checking is done by those who actually do the same work in a peer organization.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 9 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
All of the aforementioned principles create value.
The technical requirements for market access in Member countries are based on conformity
to adopted IEC International Standards.
In limited cases there are some small national differences which are known in advance.
Conformity to all requirements is demonstrated through an IECEE Test Certificate.
This means that all requirements of all Member countries are essentially identical.
The IECEE’s Operational Documents and peer-assessment checking, ensure that the work
of the Certification Bodies and Testing Laboratories is consistent and comparable across the
world.
Peer assessment creates such a level of confidence, that a CB in its own country will
recognize the certificates from another CB in another country, and will take on the risk of that
certificate in its own country.
CA results are therefore of high quality, consistent and globally recognized.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 10 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
th
As of the 4 quarter of 2014 all of these countries see the value of the IECEE.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 11 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
The IECEE operates two conformity assessment schemes, the long running and very
successful CB-scheme, and the more recent CB-Full Certificate Scheme or CB-FCS.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 12 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
The CB-scheme is a type testing scheme.
This means that a sample product is taken from the production line and tested.
The sample product is tested according to the relevant standard and a Test Report is issued.
Then, based on the results given in the Test Report, a CB Test Certificate is issued.
The CB Test Certificate and Test Report can then be used as proof of conformity to obtain a
“National Mark” and access to a foreign market, for all products of the same type from that
supplier.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 13 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
How the CB-scheme works in practice is that a product manufacturer or supplier sends a
sample product and a list of countries to which it wishes to enter, to a national certification
body, or NCB, that is participating in the IECEE.
The NCB checks in the IECEE database of registered national differences then sends the
sample product to a participating Testing Laboratory, a CBTL, to be tested against the
relevant IEC international standard and the national differences.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 14 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
The CBTL then issues a Test Report.
Based on that Test Report the NCB issues a CB Test Certificate.
The NCB then sends the CB Test Certificate and Test Report back to the product
manufacturer or supplier.
The product manufacturer or supplier then takes the CB Test Certificate and Test Report to
retailers, buyers, vendors and the National Regulatory Authority in the countries of interest,
where access is granted to those respective markets.
The CB-scheme largely achieves the goals of
one standard
one test performed anywhere
one certificate
accepted everywhere.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 15 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
As proof of the success of the CB-scheme, more than 80,000 CB-scheme Test Certificates
were issued in 2013 alone.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 16 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
The IECEE CB-Full Certification Scheme is a relatively recent addition to the IECEE
conformity assessment services.
It is an extension of the CB-scheme that goes beyond type-test certification and includes
product sample selection from the factory or from the open market, testing, factory audits
and inspections and surveillance of the production process and the quality system.
It is a full certification scheme based on ISO/IEC System 5.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 17 of 18
IECEE solution, what is it ?
More detailed information on the IECEE CA schemes can be found in Module 15.
IEC e-learning course
Module 11 – unit 03
Page 18 of 18