Rope Standards and Certification: EN and CE Certification

Equipment Standards and Certification：

Equipment used for rope access work must comply with relevant standards.

The following are several authoritative standard-setting organizations:

① International Standards Organization (ISO)
② Europe - European Committee for Standardization (EN / CEN) (which now encompasses separate national standards such as British (BS), German (DIN), French (AFNOR), etc.)
③ USA - American National Standards Institute (ANSI), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

European Standards and the CE Mark

All personal protective equipment (PPE) must meet basic health and safety requirements. The principle behind the design and production of equipment is to achieve the highest level of personal protection while matching efficiency, functionality, and comfort. Equipment that achieves European standard certification meets these requirements. According to EU Directive 89/686/EEC, equipment used for rope access work falls into the category of Category III personal protective equipment and must therefore bear the CE mark. Any item bearing the CE mark has been tested and meets the safety requirements of the EU Directive.

CE Certification Process

Note: Even though equipment conforming to European standards is produced under strict quality control procedures, the primary intention of adding the CE mark is actually to serve as a means of restricting the flow of goods into the European market.

Before manufacturing a type of equipment, the manufacturer must prepare a set of technical documentation for that equipment and submit it to the European Committee for Standardization. Then, samples of the equipment must be tested by an independent notified body (NB) to ensure they meet the requirements of the relevant equipment category (EN) within the EU Directive.

The notified body must test the equipment to verify that its production conforms to the technical documentation and that it is absolutely safe for its intended use. When the tests are passed, the notified body issues a certificate listing the test results. Subsequently, during production, the manufacturer must ensure that production complies with the requirements of the European standard quality control manual and the contents of the technical documentation. Thereafter, the notified body will periodically audit the production process to ensure quality.

After all the above conditions are met, the manufacturer must prepare a Declaration of Conformity (DOC). Each individual product will be marked with the CE mark and a four-digit number representing the notified body's identification number.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment refers to equipment designed to protect the individual from harm. According to the EU Directive, PPE is divided into three categories:

Category III personal protective equipment serves to protect the individual from fatal or serious injuries. Most equipment used for rope access work falls into Category III PPE, its function being to protect against falls from height.

All Category III personal protective equipment must pass the testing and certification process described in the previous section:

 

Preparation of technical documentation

 

Submission to an independent body for testing

 

Production under the European standard quality monitoring system

 

CE Marking Requirements

The CE mark is a symbol used to indicate that a product conforms to the requirements of EU Directive 89/686/EEC. All Category III personal protective equipment must be marked with the CE symbol, along with the year of production and the code of the notified body.

The four-digit number on the right is the code of the notified body. In the example above, 0197 represents Rheinland Product Safety GmbH, a notified body based in Germany. The middle two digits represent the year, i.e., 1996.

Here are some common notified bodies:

 

0082 APAVE Lyonnaise (France)

 

0197 Rheinland Product Safety GmbH (Germany)

 

0120 SGS Yarsley International Certification Services Limited (UK)

 

0123 Product Services GmbH (Germany)

 

0426 ITLCERT (Italy)

 

Requirements for Providing Information to Users

According to EU Directive 89/686/EEC, each Category III personal protective equipment product must be accompanied by separate technical instructions detailing the following:

Methods of use, storage, and maintenance

Key inspection points

Compatibility with other equipment

Correct usage methods

Usage limitations

Usable lifetime

 

Reference Numbers (i.e., EN numbers) for Different Equipment Categories in EU Directive 89/686/EEC

There are many types of equipment designated as Category III personal protective equipment, each with its unique technical requirements. The EN number indicates the different equipment categories.