The accredited way to repair – UK’s first IECEx Service Facilities Certificate issued by Sira

Sira Test & Certification Ltd has become the first certification body to issue an IECEx Certificate of Conformity for the repair and overhaul of hazardous area equipment in the United Kingdom.

The certificate to Detectronic Ltd was the first of its kind to be issued there under the IECEx Service Facilities Programme. Sira was also the first to be officially recognized as an IECEx Certification Body.

The issuance of the certificate follows Sira’s issuance of the first Service Facility Certificate to MARC Thailand Co Ltd in November 2007 (see the March 2008 e-tech).

Sira Managing Director Mike Shearman said: "This is a great achievement for Detectronic, Sira and the IECEx System in general. It clearly demonstrates the competence and commitment to the high standards of Detectronic’s employees.

"The IECEx Service Facilities Programme, which Sira helped to develop, is rapidly gaining momentum, and I am pleased that Sira continues to be at the forefront of this drive, offering premium compliance services to repair workshops around the world."

Detectronic manufactures, services and repairs a wide range of area velocity flow meters at its facility in Nelson, Lancashire. Most of the instrumentation produced or repaired by the company is destined for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. The company’s skilled workforce has more than 50 years of accumulated experience in the design, manufacture, service and repair of intrinsically safe flow meters.

Detectronic’s Board of Directors has welcomed the introduction of the IECEx Service Facilities Programme as it supports the company’s ongoing commitment to delivering world-class service and repair standards for its valued customers.

Gerry Burby, Technical Director of Detectronic, stated: "Our customers will continue to receive the same high levels of service they have come to expect from our team of engineers, but we now offer them the added security of knowing that all work is carried out to IECEx standards with worldwide recognition and full traceability."

The Service Facilities Programme explained

The scheme covers the repair and overhaul of equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres, providing both OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and end-users with the confidence that repair workshops work in accordance with strict technical and quality system requirements laid down within an international (IEC) framework.

Working to IEC 60079-19, Explosive atmospheres - Part 19: Equipment repair, overhaul and reclamation (and IECEx System documents OD/014 and 015), the service facility is assessed to ensure that the essential aspects of the quality management system procedures, the working environment, staff competence, repair methodologies and calibration of test and measurement equipment are satisfactorily operated and maintained.

The end result is the issue of an IECEx Certificate of Conformity, demonstrating that the service facility can carry out repair and overhaul of equipment in accordance with the requirements of the published standards.

Advantages of the scheme

The IECEx Service Facilities Programme independently endorses the repair facility’s capability and imparts an international status that gives confidence to its customers and a competitive edge to its services.

It offers a credible alternative to other, non-accredited schemes and addresses concerns within industry over poor standards of overhaul work. Many companies are now insisting that they work only with repair and overhaul organizations that are certified by accredited bodies.

Successful applicants will also see their certificate posted on the publicly accessible IECEx website.

The Programme now has IECEx-certified repair and overhaul workshops in the United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands, Malaysia and Thailand. More applications are in hand as many oil and gas companies increasingly require IECEx certification of workshops that repair their equipment.