GSO has updated its requirements for the duration and traceability of product test reports for G-Mark certification. With 2024 from 31 July, all applications for G-Mark certificates will be rejected unless the following requirements are met.
1. Application G-MARK certification test report validity period
A) test results used for G-Mark certification are normally not considered valid until no more than 3 years have elapsed from the date of application.
B) with immediate effect, test results for Gulf type certification shall be considered valid if obtained within a period of not more than three years from the date of the actual test. This period begins on the date of completion and issuance of the test report as specified in the laboratory test report.
C) any reissued report must meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025. For example, test reports can only be reissued when errors are corrected and test data are supplemented.
Note: It is not allowed to re-issue the approved test report (without re-testing) three years after the end of the test, even if it explicitly refers to the initial report it replaces.
D) the laboratory test report may be issued later than the test completion date, and the 3-year period is calculated with the test completion date as the starting point.
E) the period of validity of the standard applied must always be observed and the period of validity of the standard shall not be affected by these rules.
2. Apply for certification of the traceability of product test reports
To ensure that test reports are associated with certified products, the following traceability requirements are enforced on test reports:
A) the test report shall specify the manufacturer, brand and model of the product applying for G-mark certification.
B) the location (factory) indicated in the test report shall be consistent with the information provided in the application for certification.
C) the test report shall include sufficient photographic documentation of the product under test to allow the NB public body to identify the product (model number) applied for, in particular the serial number or series of products.
3.Product Identity Statement (PID)
A) if the test report does not directly correspond to the product model applied for certification, the Product Identity Statement (PID) or identity statement (Doi) shall be provided to indicate the correlation, similarities and differences between the product applying for certification and the product in the test report, and the reference references of all the test reports relating to the test results shall be included in the PID or DOI.
B) the PID/DOI shall be issued on a letterhead bearing the name and address of the company and signed by the manufacturer's licensor or his authorized representative (such as the technical lead or senior management representative) .
C) the NB announcement body shall upload PID/DOI as one of the certification materials to the GCTS platform.
D) in general, PID is acceptable if there are no technical differences between the product under test and the product under application (e.g. design/structure, parts or materials used, assembly method, intended use, risks and hazards, location/country of manufacture, etc.) . Otherwise, the manufacturer shall provide the NB announcement agency with documentary evidence that such changes will not impair product compliance.
E) non-technical differences (e.g. , brand, model, exterior design) are permissible, depending on the NB announcement agency's written assessment of the non-impact of product conformity.
F) other discrepancies found by the manufacturer or NB announcement agency shall be tested and the test results reviewed in a qualified laboratory. The test report shall be submitted as a certification document for the conformity assessment procedure.
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