Fire Alarm Products: New EFSG application form
EFSG, an association of European certification bodies in the fire and safety sector, and Euralarm's EFSG Task Force have worked closely together to develop a joint application form for EFSG certification. The form was recently published and can be used to apply for multiple certifications.
According to Euralarm's announcement, the new form is intended to reduce the number of separate forms manufacturers must complete when submitting an application for certification to EFSG members. Euralarm writes in its release, "The common application form will allow for a single application to be accepted by all EFSG members, followed by a centralized project management process within EFSG. This should help shorten certification timelines overall."
The uniform form would be accepted by AFNOR, BRE Global, CNPP, DBI and Vds for applications for certification of fire alarm systems to EN 54, smoke alarms to EN 14604 and power supplies to EN 12101-10 under the EFSG mutual recognition agreement.
A step forward
The whole thing is a step forward, it says: the uniform application form and the central project management process will support one-stop testing within EFSG and speed up the market launch of new and modified products. The form contains all the necessary contractual information from the individual certification bodies, eliminating the need for separate applications, it says. The exception is BRE Global - whose terms and conditions are provided with the offer.
However, the success of the new form would depend on the companies that used it. Local work instructions and quality processes may need to be changed to use the new form. Euralarm supports the use of the common application form and encourages manufacturers to implement or incorporate the form into their processes. At the same time, they also encourage EFSG to use the new process to drive improvements in the certification process.
The common application form and the corresponding annexes are available for download on the EFSG website (cf. here). The form includes a check box to indicate requests related to product changes made due to component shortages that require expedited certification.
