Testing and Certification
The Testing and Certification Department is actively involved in the field of the testing and certification of products. The department comprises a combination of EU Notified Body 1024 and the RILSA construction laboratory.
The activities of Notified body 1024 commenced based on Act No. 30/1968 Coll., on State Testing, as early as in 1968 in the form of the State Testing Laboratory. Its mission was to test selected personal protective equipment intended for the protection of the head, face, eyesight, hearing and the respiratory system, as well as equipment that protects the body from the effects of chemicals, dust, mechanical influences and water. Subsequently, the department also became involved in the testing of temporary building structures, i.e. scaffolding.
The State Testing Laboratory operated successively as State Testing Laboratory No. 235 (from 3 January 1984) and Authorised Person No. 235 (from 19 October 1999). In connection with the Czech Republic’s upcoming accession to the European Union, on 18 June 2001 Authorised Person No. 235 was notified to the European Community authorities on the basis of the PECA protocol as Notified Body No. 1024, and certification issued by the body became recognised in all EU member states.
From 1 January 2004, following the amendment of the PECA protocol, Authorised Person 235/Notified Body 1024 was also permitted to provide conformity assessment services to manufacturers from third countries. This development meant that the services provided were equivalent to those provided by other notified bodies in Europe, even before the Czech Republic acceded to the EU.
In accordance with the full implementation of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment, the authorization expired on 20 April 2018, and the State Testing Laboratory has since operated exclusively as Notified Body 1024.
Notified Body 1024, which includes Testing Laboratory No. 1040 and Product Certification Body No. 3068, is a unique facility in the Czech context for the testing and assessment of conformity, particularly in the areas of respiratory protection (masks, filters, hoods, half masks), protective clothing against ionising (X-ray) radiation and firearms protection equipment (clothing, helmets). In addition, Notified Body 1024 ensures the assessment of equipment for the protection of hands and arms, e.g. gloves designed to protect against mechanical risks, as well as equipment for the protection of the head, especially industrial helmets, protective clothing against heat and fire and static electricity, protective clothing for welders and protective clothing against cuts by chainsaws. The services provided further include the testing of protective clothing for motorcyclists and clothing used in combat sports.