11.2 DEFINITIONS
11.2.1 Accredited certification body
“Accredited certification body” (CB) refers to a body corporate or corporation incorporated or constituted under the law of Singapore, accredited under the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC)’s certification body accreditation scheme administered by the Enterprise Singapore Board.
11.2.2 Accredited laboratory
“Accredited laboratory” refers to a body corporate or corporation providing laboratory testing services, which is accredited under SAC’s laboratory accreditation scheme administered by the Enterprise Singapore Board, or recognised under the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Agreement/ Arrangement between Singapore and other countries.
11.2.3 Certificate of Conformity (CoC)
“Certificate of Conformity” refers to a certificate issued by CBs for a regulated fire safety product that meets product testing standards and certification requirements. These certified products shall be recorded in a product directory on the CB’s website for reference and verification of the CoCs’ validity.
“Declaration of Compliance” refers to a declaration of information associated with or related to a batch of certified regulated fire safety products. DoCs serve a similar purpose as serial labels, and are issued for non-discrete systems, such as fire-rated ceilings and fire-rated floors. Refer to Table 11A for products that require DoCs.
“Discrete system” refers to a regulated fire safety product on which it is physically practicable and/or effective to affix a product label for identification purposes. Such products include fire doors, landing valves, and fire extinguishers.
11.2.6 Local representative
“Local representative” refers to the Singapore-registered agent/ partner appointed by a foreign CoC holder, in order for its certified regulated fire safety products to be supplied in Singapore.
11.2.7 Mutual Recognition Arrangement/Agreement (MRA)
“Mutual Recognition Arrangement” or “Mutual Recognition Agreement” refers to the arrangements signed between SAC and other international assessment bodies, which mutually recognise reports and certificates issued by an accredited Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) as equivalent to their own accreditation requirements.
“Non-discrete system” refers to a regulated fire safety product on which it is not physically practicable or effective to affix a product label, for example on walls, floors and cables. Suppliers are instead issued with DoC certificates for these products.
11.2.9 Product Listing Scheme (PLS)
“Product listing scheme” refers to the third party certification scheme administered by SCDF for regulated fire safety products.
“Scheme Type 1b” consists of type testing of a sample of a production. Every subsequent batch shall also be tested or inspected. Refer to Table 11A for the test requirements.
“Scheme Type 2” consists of type testing of a sample during initial certification, and subsequent surveillance testing of samples from the market (i.e., warehouse, project site, etc.) to check that items produced fulfil the specified requirements.
“Scheme Type 5” consists of type testing and factory inspection during initial certification, and ongoing assessment of the entire quality management system, including auditing the production process and management system. Surveillance testing of the product is done either from the market or at the point of production, or both, to check that items produced fulfil the specified requirements.
11.2.13 Serial label
“Serial label” refers to a certification label issued by CBs, with unique serial numbers. These are affixed to certified regulated fire safety products categorised as discrete systems, such as fire-rated doors and fire alarm panels. Such labels allow tracing of these products to their corresponding CoC and the specific installation location of each product. Refer to Table 11A for products that require serial labels.
11.2.14 Surveillance window
"Surveillance window”, also known as “surveillance cycle”, refers to the period of 12, 36 or 60 months (depending on product category, as stipulated in Table 11A), starting the date that a CoC is issued in relation to a regulated fire safety product, and every subsequent period of 12, 36 or 60 months or shorter, if the CoC expires, or is terminated or withdrawn. Products may be subject to post-certification testing and/or inspections, based on the surveillance window.
11.2.15 Suspension of CoC
“Suspension of CoC” refers to the temporary invalidation of a CoC by a CB under circumstances not limited to the following:
a. Non-compliance to any component of the surveillance regime;
b. Products are suspected to not meet fire safety requirements, but are still in the process of being tested/ investigated; and
c. CoC holder breaching the CB’s terms and conditions (including non-payment of fees).
11.2.16 Termination of CoC
“Termination of CoC” refers to the cancellation of a CoC, either on the request of the CoC holder before its expiry, or due to reasons not related to fire safety. Examples of such circumstances include:
a. CoC holder ceases to supply the product due to business considerations (e.g., shutting down of business/undergoes liquidation); and
b. CoC holder fails to take adequate rectification measures within the given timeframe, despite being suspended for a breach in the CB’s terms and conditions (including non-payment of fees).
11.2.17 Type testing
“Type testing”, also known as prototype testing, refers to testing of a product according to the test standard(s) for that product for the application of CoC, as specified in Table 11A.
11.2.18 Withdrawal of CoC
“Withdrawal of CoC” refers to the cancellation of a CoC by the CB under circumstances not limited to the following:
a. Non-compliance with the requirements of the Product Listing Scheme, including:
(1) regulated fire safety product that is supplied to the industry differs from the prototype described in the CoC and laboratory test report;
(2) misuse of certification mark, logo and certificates; and
(3) supply of products from a factory. which differs from the factory declared during the CoC application.
b. Failure to take adequate rectification measures within the given timeframe, despite being suspended for a fire-safety-related non-compliance, or
c. Non-compliance that indicates failure of production process to consistently produce products of acceptable quality, including:
(1) failure or refusal of test/analysis of the product; and
(2) the surveillance regime is not completed within the surveillance window.
d. Other reasons related to fire safety.