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GNB-CPD
AG
Guidance from the Group of Notified Bodies
for the Construction Products Directive
89/106/EEC
NB-CPD/AG/03/004
Issued: 22 October 2003
APPROVED
INFORMATIVE



Checklists for initial inspection of factory and factory production
control and continuous surveillance of factory production control.



Purpose of these checklists is for information only
The enclosed checklists
- are primarily to assist those involved in the implementation of the technical specification in the sector groups,
- agree with the provisions of the CPD and of Guidance Papers B and K,
- are recommendations and not legally binding,
- refer to the initial inspection and the continuous surveillance only,

- are for general use and should be reviewed by SGs and elaborated further, amended or adapted to the
special product under consideration,
- should be considered as measures to be taken into account when undertaking inspection body duties when
carrying out initial inspection and continuous surveillance,
- may be taken by CEN/EOTA for consideration when specifying the respective methods of control of
conformity.


Initial inspection of the factory and factory production control (FPC)
The initial inspection of the factory provides for the identification and documentation of the kind and manner of the
manufacturing process and factory production control of the products. This is to enable the notified
body/inspection body to assess the compliance with the provisions of the technical specification on the one hand
and to provide a baseline to identify possible changes that may occur during surveillance.

Surveillance of factory production control
The surveillance of the manufacturing process includes:
- checking the documentation of the factory production control to ensure continuing compliance with the
provisions of the technical specification, and
- the identification of changes by comparing data obtained during the initial inspection or during the latest
inspection.



Check List for Initial Inspection of Factory and of Factory Production Control

In the course of the initial inspection the following criteria should be considered:

I. GENERAL QUESTIONS

Questions to be considered Comments
1 For which product/product family has a factory production control been
established and an initial type testing of the product been carried out?

2 Does the producer apply a quality management system related to the
technical specification?
If YES, is that proved by a valid certificate and by whom?
Does the factory production control for the products to be certified form
part of the quality management system?

3 Does the producer have direct control of the appropriate machinery and for
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Questions to be considered Comments
the production of the products to be certified, or are key elements of the
production with respect to the essential characteristics subcontracted to
others on or off the site?
4 Is the maintenance of this machinery and the measuring equipment carried
out properly, regularly, and is this documented?

5 Are the personnel involved in the production sufficiently qualified and
trained to operate and maintain the production equipment?

6 Are all processes and procedures of the production recorded at regular
intervals or continuously (automatically)?
How is the documentation organized?

7
For the products to be certified, does the manufacturer have a system to
document the production process from purchasing/delivery of the basic
materials through to the storage and the delivery of the finished products?
Is an inspection of the incoming material carried out, and if yes, how and at
what intervals?

8
Which characteristics of the products are tested and recorded in the
course of the production process and/or on the final products or
documented in any other manner?
Is the manner, extent and frequency of factory production control in
accordance with the documented system?

9
What are the test methods and equipment used?
Are the test methods and test equipment used directly related to the
technical specifications or are proxy values of characteristics used?
Have appropriate measurements been performed and documented linking
the test methods and equipment used with the technical specification?

10
Do the findings of these tests correlate with the requirements laid down in
the technical specification for initial type testing, and for testing for
surveillance purposes of the FPC?

11
Is the testing equipment correctly maintained and calibrated on a
continuous basis to ensure constant accuracy of the tests performed
during factory production control and surveillance?

12
Does the producer apply an adequate documented system that allows the
detection of defects and deviations quickly enough to identify
unambiguously those products that are not in accordance with the product
specification so that they are removed prior to delivery?
In which way is the marking of such products performed?

13
For the products to be certified, does the producer apply an adequate
documented system concerning product complaints received, and that is
integrated into the factory production control?
Does the system include appropriate measures to avoid or correct these
deficiencies?


Is there a documented system that is used where by the producer promptly
informs the certification body/inspection body about all complaints?

14
Summary of the results by the inspection body and the specification of the
measures to be taken for correction if necessary



II. Specific Questions related to the technical specification

Questions to be considered Comments








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Check list for the continuous surveillance

In the course of a continuous surveillance the following criteria have to be considered:

I. GENERAL QUESTIONS

Questions to be considered Comments
1 For which product/product family has a factory production control been
established and an initial type testing of the product been carried out?

2
Has the production and/or the technical specification changed since the
last continuous surveillance of products/product family?
If yes, has the producer adapted the documentation accordingly?

3 Does the producer still apply a quality management system that covers the
factory production control of the certified products, and is there a valid
certificate?

4 Is the maintenance of machinery and measuring equipment carried out
properly and regularly as before, and is this documented and is the
documentation up to date?

5 Are the personnel involved in the production sufficiently qualified and
trained to operate and maintain the production equipment as before?
Have there been alterations in key staff since the initial or the last
continuous surveillance?

6 Are all processes and procedures of the production recorded at regular
intervals or continuously (automatically) as before?
Have there been changes in the manner of recording or documentation
since the initial or the last continuous surveillance?

7 For the products to be certified, does the manufacturer have a system to
document the production process, from purchasing/delivery of the basic
materials through to the storage and the delivery of the finished products,
as before?
Is an inspection of the incoming material carried out as before, and if so
have there been any changes in the way it is done and/or the intervals?
Have the provisions for procurement of the basic materials and/or the
suppliers been changed?

8 Is the manner, extent and frequency of factory production control still in
accordance with the provisions of the technical specification?

9 Have any changes been made concerning test methods and/or testing
equipment?
If so, have appropriate comparable measurements been performed and
documented?

10 Do the findings of these tests still correlate with the test methods laid down
in the technical specification for initial type testing or testing for
surveillance of factory production control?

11 Is the testing equipment correctly maintained and calibrated as before to
ensure consistent accuracy of the tests performed during factory
production control and its surveillance?

12 Does the producer apply, as before, an adequate documented system
that allows the detection of defects and deviations quickly enough to
identify and mark unambiguously those products that are not in
accordance with the product specification in order to remove them?

13 For the products to be certified, does the producer apply an adequate
documented system concerning product complaints received that is
integrated into the factory production control as before?
Are appropriate measures to correct non-conformities with the technical
specifications being used and are these measures documented?

How many complaints have been documented since the last surveillance
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Questions to be considered Comments
period?
Have complaints received by the producer been reported to their full extent
to the certification body and to the supervising testing laboratory?

14 Are the products duly marked with the CE marking?
15 Do the values measured during factory production control correspond with
those values determined on products within the initial type testing by the
notified body?

16 Summary of the results by the inspection body and the measures to be
taken for correction if necessary



II. Specific Questions related to the technical specification

Questions to be considered Comments