The certification of Ex-Service Companies (in explosive atmospheres) covers all the necessary activities of an Ex installation:
• Design;
• Selection;
• Installation;
• Inspection;
• Maintenance;
• Repair;
• Overhaul;
• Recovery.
NCC can certify Ex-service companies by the standards:
ABNT NBR IEC 60079-14, installation of Ex equipment and the initial Ex inspection;
ABNT NBR IEC 60079-17, inspection and maintenance of Ex equipment;
ABNT NBR IEC 60079-19 repair, overhaul, and recovery of Ex equipment.
The voluntary certification of service companies involved in providing services associated with equipment intended for use in explosive atmospheres enables greater reliability in the services performed and greater visibility among end users and ex-service users.
The relevance of certification of Ex-service companies for the national industry is based on the following:
Use of international standards;
Consistent and harmonized conformity assessment criteria;
Allowing conformity assessment results ensures reliability in the Ex-service performed.
The NCC, operating as a certification body for Ex-service companies, states that:
It is a product and quality management system certification body and maintains legal registration of its logo (mark of conformity);
Confidentiality, objectivity, and impartiality are predominant factors, ensuring that its employees are not involved in supplying or designing Ex equipment and services of the type that NCC certifies, or advising or providing consultancy services to the applicant, inherent to NCC’s activities, or providing any other services that compromise the confidentiality, objectivity or impartiality of the established criteria;
The competence required of its professionals for the certification activities of Ex-service companies intended for use in explosive atmospheres can be verified through the evidence, which lists each professional and their specialties by the applicable standards;
Performs certification by the definitions contained in the procedure and specific standards for each Ex-service company intended for use in explosive atmospheres;
It complies with all the guidelines established, if any, by the regulatory authorities.
This type of certification represents a competitive edge in the market, providing confidence for the organizations that hire these “Ex” service companies.