MCERTS – Product Certification Focus

has been a success due to a number of factors including support from industry and manufacturers of monitoring equipment. It provides a framework for process operators and the regulator to work within, and a clear benchmark of acceptability for monitoring data.

MCERTS promotes public confidence in monitoring data and provides the industry with systems and services that meet the Environment Agency’s (EA) performance requirements.  

Paul Wiggins, Environment Agency, commented “A contributor to the success of MCERTS is the flexibility that the scheme allows. A certification committee is assigned to each project, ensuring the evidence submitted by the manufacturer is technically robust. This route allows for the use of existing test data and for in-house data to be used when witnessed and verified by CSA Group-Sira. Field trials can also be conducted on existing installations reducing timescales and cost.”

There are a variety of MCERTS performance standards for environmental monitoring systems, broadly split into three areas: Air, Water and Software. To date nearly
250 MCERTS product conformity certificates have been issued by CSA Group-Sira against
these standards.

The route to MCERTS Certification: 

Stage 1: Pre-contract

CSA Group-Sira and the manufacturer discuss a cost-effective way forward

Stage 2: Certification committee meeting MCERTS evidence and testing

Compliance evidence is reviewed. A test plan is generated and agreed with CSA Group-Sira

Stage 3: Implementation

Tests commissioned by the manufacturer (if required) and new evidence submitted to CSA Group-Sira

Stage 4: Audit and assessment of test data

CSA Group-Sira performs MCERTS manufacturing audit. Test reports and MCERTS evidence are assessed

Stage 5: Certification

MCERTS requirements fulfilled – certificates issued by CSA Group-Sira

MCERTS evidence and testing

The evidence/test data for MCERTS certification may be provided to CSA Group-Sira for review by the certification committee in a number of different ways as follows: 

Laboratory tests

• New third-party test data

• Existing third-party test data

• In-house test data produced by the manufacturer, witnessed and verified by CSA Group-Sira

• A combination of the above

Field tests

• New third-party test data

• Existing third party test data

• Existing test data collected from an existing installation 

• In-house test data produced by the manufacturer, witnessed and verified by CSA Group-Sira

Please note, for the field trial at least 3 months continuous operation is required. This could be historical data, or could be from a new trial depending on what evidence is available and its suitability. 

WWEM 2014 

The Water, Wastewater and Environmental Monitoring (WWEM) conference and exhibition takes place over the 5th and 6th November 2014 in Telford, UK. If you are a manufacturer wishing to obtain MCERTS it is advised that all applications are submitted to CSA Group-Sira by 31st May 2014 to ensure manufacturers have sufficient time to collate evidence for certification.  

If you are a manufacturer of monitoring equipment and are interested in MCERTS certification please contact CSA Group-Sira for more information on the certification process, and perhaps be awarded a certificate at the show.

Further information

MCERTS is the Environment Agency’s Monitoring Certification Scheme, see
www.mcerts.net for full information.  

A list of currently certified products can be found at www.siraenvironmental.com