Test laboratories, certification bodies and the NCPR
NATSPEC is not a conformity assessment body and the NCPR relies on conformity assessment performed by others, including the following organisations with accreditation from accreditation bodies, at the time of the product's registered assessment. Note that product testing may be performed as part of product development and not as part of the conformity assessment process, in which case the test laboratories are not acting as conformity assessment bodies.
|
Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) |
Website |
Regional Accreditation Authority |
Accreditation Number |
|---|---|---|---|
|
APL (Applied Physics Laboratory) Australia Pty Ltd |
NATA (at the time of listed assessment) |
15393 |
|
|
ACO Polycrete Pty Ltd |
NATA |
15193 |
|
|
Air Quality Sciences, Inc. (AQS) |
ANSI |
0198 |
|
|
Aluminium Specialities Group Pty Ltd |
NATA |
15657 |
|
|
Applied Acoustics Laboratory, RMIT University, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering |
NATA (at the time of listed assessment) |
1421 |
|
|
Applus+ Laboratories (LGAI Technological Center S.A.) |
ENAC |
0370 |
|
|
ATTAR, Advanced Technology Testing and Research |
NATA |
2735 |
|
|
Australian Certification Services Pty Ltd |
JAS-ANZ |
N/A |
|
|
Australian Hearing National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) |
NATA (at the time of listed assessment) |
5472 |
|
|
Australian Water Quality Centre |
NATA |
1115 |
|
|
Australian Window Association (AWA) |
NATA |
13739 |
|
|
Australian Wool Testing Authority Ltd (AWTA) |
NATA |
1356 |
|
|
BM Trada |
UKAS |
012 |
|
|
BRANZ Limited |
IANZ |
37 |
|
|
BRE Global Ltd |
UKAS |
578 |
|
|
Bureau Veritas Australia Pty Ltd |
JAS-ANZ |
Z2960704AP |
|
|
Cambridge Materials Testing Limited |
SCC |
59 |
|
|
Ceram Building Technology (Changed name to Lucideon) |
UKAS |
0006 |
|
|
CertMark International Pty Ltd |
JAS-ANZ |
N/A |
|
|
CSIRO Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Fire Technology Laboratory |
NATA |
165 |
|
|
CSIRO Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Slip Resistance Laboratory |
NATA |
165 |
|
|
CSR Building Products Technical Centre/CSR Building Materials Technical Centre |
NATA |
701 |
|
|
Cyclone Testing Station, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, James Cook University |
NATA |
14937 |
|
|
Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt) |
EOTA |
N/A |
|
|
Eco-Scan |
Belac |
451-TEST |
|
|
Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia (EWPAA) |
JAS-ANZ |
Z4351009AN |
|
|
Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia (EWPAA) |
NATA |
765 |
|
|
Eurofins ams Laboratories Pty Ltd |
NATA |
15773 |
|
|
Eurofins Product Testing A/S |
DANAK |
522 |
|
|
Element Missassauga, Canada |
IAS |
TL-407 |
|
|
FIW München |
Dakks |
D-PL-14116-01-00 |
|
|
FM Approval |
IAS |
TL-221 |
|
|
Fraunhofer IBP |
DAkkS |
D-PL-11140-11-04 |
|
|
Foray Laboratories Pty Ltd (CETEC) |
NATA |
1231 |
|
|
Global-Mark Pty Ltd |
JAS-ANZ |
N/A |
|
|
Hansa-Nordlabor Pinneberg |
DAkkS |
1502 |
|
|
Ian Bennie & Associates |
NATA |
2371 |
|
|
IAPMO R&T OCEANA |
JAS-ANZ |
N/A |
|
|
ISSeP, Institut scientifique de service public |
BELAC |
060-Test |
|
|
Laboratoire national de métrologie et d’essais (LNE) |
COFRAC |
3-0998 |
|
|
Labosport Canada |
UKAS |
4098 |
|
|
Material Testing Institute North (Das Materialprüfinstitut Nord) |
DAkkS |
D-PL-17407-01-00 |
|
|
Mechanical Testing Services Pty. Ltd |
NATA |
14931 |
|
|
Melbourne Testing Services Pty Ltd |
NATA |
1047 |
|
|
MFPA Leipzig GmbH |
DAkkS |
|
|
|
SAI Global Certification Services Pty Limited |
JAS-ANZ |
N/A |
|
|
Säurefliesner-Vereinigung E. V. (The Acid Tiling Association, Institute for Wall and Floor Coverings) |
DakkS |
D-PL-18372-01-00 |
|
|
Schlegel Pty Ltd |
NATA |
1764 |
|
|
Scientific Certification Systems Global Services (SCS) |
JAS-ANZ |
N/A |
|
|
SGS |
JAS-ANZ |
N/A |
|
|
Southwest Research Institute, (SwRI) Fire Technology Department & Chemical Engineering Department |
IAS |
TL-214 |
|
|
Staatliche Materialprüfungsanstalt Darmstadt (MPA) |
DAkkS |
D-PL-11048-01-01; D-ZE-11048-01-00 |
|
|
Testing, Inspection and Certification Body of the Municipality of Vienna |
Akkreditierung Austria |
1139 |
|
|
TFI Textiles & Flooring Institute GmbH |
DAkkS |
D-PL-17152-01-00 |
|
|
TUV Rheinland |
NATA |
1700 |
|
|
TÜV SÜD PSB Pte. Ltd. |
SAC |
PC-2017-06 |
|
|
UL |
ANSI |
0198 |
|
|
Warringtonfire Australia Pty Ltd |
NATA |
3277 |
Accreditation
Accreditation is a third party attestation of the competence of the CAB to perform specific types of testing, inspection, calibration, certification and other related activities. Refer to the accreditation body for the scope of accreditation of the CAB.
A CAB may not have accreditation for a specific conformity assessment. Whilst the lack of accreditation does not necessarily mean that a CAB is not competent to undertake conformity assessment, third-party accreditation is recognised around the world as the highest and most credible type a certification or inspection body can obtain.
Note that, for some standards, there may not be a test laboratory accredited to perform the conformity assessment.
See CAB Accreditation
Authentication Status
“Sighted by NATSPEC” vs “Authenticated by CAB”
“Sighted by NATSPEC” means a batch of certificates were received at the same time by the NCPR team. The authenticity of the batch was represented by a sample certificate which was drawn at random and sent to the issuing CAB for authenticity verification. Due to the resources required to verify every report with the issuing CAB, NATSPEC adopted the procedure to verify different standards, which represent different unique characteristics, of every unique product type, with the issuing CAB.
- It is common that all types of conformity assessment, from the pre-market to the post-market testing, inspection, auditing and certification, involve sampling throughout the whole chain of quality surveillance. A sampled product, process, system or a service is verified at some point by the CAB to represent a consistent performance of the entire assessed batch. Typically, the sampled product, process, system or service may be used to “pass” or “fail” the entire batch.
- The NCPR is for assistance, not assurance. The threshold at which product conformity/compliance is deemed to have been satisfied must be determined through a risk assessment process which considers the likelihood and consequence of product failure. “Sighted by NATSPEC” indicates that the manufacturer of the product has and can make available the cited evidence of conformity/compliance. Depending on the risk associated with using the product in a particular situation, application or project, a designer might or might not choose to further verify the certificate.
- Currently, evidence of conformity/compliance is rarely checked by designers/consultants/contractors/builders. NATSPEC only lists products with copies of the original evidence of conformity/compliance submitted in full. At the point of submission, manufacturers are made aware that some certificates will be randomly drawn for authenticity verification, and the subsequent consequences of submitting false evidence. The fact that a manufacturer voluntarily demonstrates evidence of conformity/compliance for NATSPEC’s scrutiny, providing the product a point of differentiation in the marketplace. With a stringent authenticity verification procedure, the NCPR aims to reduce the probability of false evidence entering the Australian construction industry, to that end, raising the awareness of the importance of product conformity/compliance.