A notified body is an organisation designated by an EU country to assess the conformity of certain products before being placed on the market. These bodies carry out tasks related to conformity assessment procedures set out in the applicable legislation such as Pressure Equipment Directive (PED), when a third party is required.
Notified bodies shall be designated to assess conformity with the essential requirements and to ensure consistent technical application of those requirements in accordance with the relevant procedures of the Union harmonisation legislation concerned.
Notified bodies shall have appropriate facilities and personnel at their disposal to carry out the technical and administrative tasks connected with the conformity assessment. They must also apply appropriate quality control procedures for the services provided.
Manufacturers are free to choose between the notified bodies designated to carry out the conformity assessment procedure concerned in accordance with the applicable Union harmonisation legislation.
Notified bodies are involved in 12 out of 13 individual or combined conformity assessment procedures (modules) within the scope of the PED.
When using combined modules such as the design phase and production phase, e. g. modules B+F, different notified bodies can be involved in each case.
The tasks and areas of responsibility of the notified bodies in the context of conformity assessment are defined in the individual modules for conformity assessment.
Clear separation between the activities as a notified body and other activities offered
When a notified body draws up a test report, it does so in its capacity as a conformity assessment body; only in this capacity may it issue EU-type examination certificates – a certificate bearing in particular the name and identification number of the notified body. Under no circumstances may the notified body issue a test report bearing its number for tests not covered by the legislation, irrespective of whether these tests have been carried out by the body itself or by another body. In addition, a notified body may only use its number in relation to conformity assessments carried out under the specific conformity assessment module requiring the involvement of a notified body and for which it has been notified. A notified body shall require the manufacturer to take appropriate corrective action and, if necessary, suspend or withdraw the certificate if, after the certificate has been issued, it finds that the product no longer complies with the requirements. In this function, notified bodies may not offer or provide additional services that do not add value to the conformity assessment of the product.
A notified body shall not be the manufacturer, the authorized representative, the supplier or its trade competitor and shall not offer or provide advice on the design, construction, marketing or maintenance of the products concerned to any of those parties.
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All Notified Bodies for PED are listed on the NANDO Website of the EU-Commission
