Activities

Certification

We carry out diverse certification missions, on both technical products and management systems.

Certification according to the Railway Interoperability Directive:

• Assessment of conformity or suitability for use of interoperability constituents and "EC" verification procedures for trans-European conventional rail subsystems in the framework of European Directive 2008/57/EC.
• Assessment of conformity of rail system constituents and subsystems with National Technical Rules in the absence of Technical Specifications for Interoperability or in the case of derogations from these.

Certification according to the Railway Safety Directive:

• The certification (required or voluntary) of the maintenance management system of entities in charge of maintenance in accordance with the regulation (EU) 2019/779 (ECM) as well as the certification of the maintenance workshops. For certification of the maintenance workshops of freight wagons, the possibility is offered to combine the ECMF IV audit with a VERS evaluation.

Certification of management systems:

• The voluntary certification according to ISO 9001 of the quality management systems of railway related organisations. This certification can be performed combined with the certification of maintenance management systems for freight and passenger vehicles according to the regulation (EU) 2019/779. Certifer Belgorail is performing the ISO 9001 certification under accreditation for management systems of rail related organisations.

The certification process of a management system works according to a 5-stage plan:

• Request for Certification: During this stage, the client describes the exact scope of the desired certification and the context in which the organisation is operating. As a support Certifer Belgorail offers different adapted forms containing the required data to complete. Do not hesitate to contact us to obtain the appropriate form.
• Evaluation and offer: Based on the obtained information we will draft an offer that suits your needs provided the requested certification is part of our scope of services. The offer will contain an evaluation plan informing you of the planning of the evaluation, being the certification audit and the associated surveillances during the certification cycle.
• Audit: The audits will follow a standard process:
  1. Stage 1: Contains the evaluation of the readiness for certification during the certification audit and a documentary audit or an identification of changes during the subsequent audits. The audit agenda for the Stage 2 audit will be drafted.
     Such stage 1 audit will generally be performed in our offices prior to the Stage 2 audit, but in certain situations it may be necessary to organise a visit to the premises of the client.
  2. Stage 2: This is the effective evaluation of the conformity with the requirements of the standard or the directive. This evaluation will always be performed on the premises of the client unless circumstances require remote auditing.

For each part of the audit an audit report will be written.

• Certification decision: Based on the Stage 2 audit report, the objective evidence collected during the audit and the conclusion of the auditor or inspector, the certification committee will take the decision concerning the granting of the certificate for the audited system. The certificate will have a validity as prescribed by the appropriate certification scheme. (This can be 1, 2, 3 or 5 years).
• Surveillance: Depending on the duration of the certification cycle and the requirements of the certification scheme, one or more surveillance audits may be planned and executed. These audits will contain the stages 1 and 2 of the certification audit. Depending on the certification scheme the extent of the stage 1 audit may vary. For large or multisite organisations, a sampling will be applied.
• Renewal of the certificate: at the end of a certification period, a renewal is performed. The same steps are followed for this as for the initial certification cycle as described above. Usually, the renewal is started 3 months before the expiry of the valid certificate, so that a decision to recertify can be taken by the Certification Committee before the expiry of the current certificate. The new certificate will take effect on the day after the expiry date of the current certificate and will have a duration as described in the applicable certification scheme.