IECEx Quality Assessment Report
ypically we only test a small sample of products as part of any approval. The Quality Assurance Report is therefore involved with the continued monitoring of systems and processes in relation to those ‘Ex’ products. It involves periodic audit of the manufacturing process by a qualified auditor.
IECEx Quality Assessment Report (QAR)
The manufacturer must ensure compliance with the full requirements of IECEx operational document OD 005 and have an ISO 9001 compliant Quality Management System.
An audit (typically one day) will take place annually (under the terms of the IECEx rules) and we are equipped to conduct this, ensuring that you can declare full compliance to the scheme.
If the manufacturer holds an accredited ISO 9001 certificate from a certification body that holds a national accreditation (e.g UKAS, RAB, ANAB) and are a signatory of the IAF MLA, the frequency of the audit may be changed to 18 month periods.
Combined Audits
Where possible, we will combine any audit actions (as well as offering a combined ISO 9001 and QA audit facility) which can cut costs and timescales dramatically. Please contact us for more information.
What is Ingress Protection rating and what does it mean?
Become familiar with the international protection marking used to indicate an electrical enclosure’s ability to cope with ingress from solids and liquids in harsh environments.
Ingress Protection rating (or just IP rating), is an international standard (IEC 60529) used to rate the degree of protection or sealing effectiveness in electrical enclosures against intrusion of objects, water, dust or accidental contact. It corresponds to the European standard EN 60529.
The IP code always consists of the letters IP (Ingress Protection) followed by two digits and an optional letter. The two digits and the last letter indicate the classified protection below.
First Digit: Solids
The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts (eg. electrical conductors, moving parts) and the ingress of solid foreign objects.
| Level | Object Size Protected Against | Effective Against |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Not protected | No protection against contact and ingress of objects. |
| 1 | >50mm | Any large surface of the body, such as the back of the hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part. |
| 2 | >12.5mm | Fingers or similar objects. |
| 3 | >2.5mm | Tools, thick wires, etc. |
| 4 | >1mm | Most wires, screws, etc. |
| 5 | Dust Protected | Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact. |
| 6 | Dust Tight | No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact. |
Second Digit: Liquids
Protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water.
| Level | Object Size Protected Against | Effective Against |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Not protected | No protection against contact and ingress of objects. |
| 1 | Dripping water | Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect. |
| 2 | Dripping water when tilted up to 15° | Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position. |
| 3 | Spraying water | Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect. |
| 4 | Splashing water | Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect. |
| 5 | Water jets | Water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. |
| 6 | Powerful water jets | Water projected in powerful jets (12.5mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. |
| 7 | Immersion up to 1m | Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion). |
| 8 | Immersion beyond 1m | The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects. |