1. What we can do for you
As an accredited conformity assessment body, we are experts in certification and authorization management. We cover a comprehensive portfolio in the following areas:
- Product certifications (“Notified Body” NoBo and “Designated Body” DeBo)
- Independent safety assessments (AsBo and ISA)
- Certifications of maintenance organizations (ECM)
- Assessments and expert services
Our ambition and efficiency are an essential contribution to your success.
2. Notified body interoperability (NoBo) - our services
As an accredited “Notified Body Interoperability” (Notified Body/NoBo) and accredited product certification body according to ISO/IEC 17065, we are your contact for the entire portfolio of conformity assessments according to the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI). To ensure that your projects meet the requirements laid down therein regarding interoperability in rail transport and to comply with the formal requirements of the 4th Railway Package, we will guide you competently and reliably through the assessment procedures for the various Technical Specifications for Interoperability.
What we do for you:
Design type assessment/document review: We review the dossiers and documents required for conformity assessment in accordance with the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) for compliance with the relevant requirements.
Production type assessment: We assess on site whether the subsystems (vehicles, on-board CCS equipment) or components provided as a representative specimen for the conformity assessment correspond to the design to be certified.
Audits/inspections: To ensure that your subsystems or components comply with the type assessed in the design type assessment, we conduct audits of quality-assured production or inspections of other manufactured vehicles.
Resulting documents: The assessment result is documented in the inspection report, the certificates and the summarizing NoBo file.
Review: In an internal review, the requirements for certification are validated in accordance with an internal quality process prescribed by the accreditation standard. The certification decision is then made.
Successful completion: With the final publication of the certificates via the “European Railway Agency Database of Interoperability and Safety” (ERADIS), we ensure that the corresponding, Europe-wide valid basis for issuing the authorization for placing your vehicles on the market is available.
3. Designated body Austria (DeBo) - our services
As an accredited “Designated Body” for Austria (Designated Body/DeBo AT), we conduct all the assessments of your rail vehicles required for authorization in accordance with the Austrian notified national technical regulations (Notified National Technical Rules/NNTR-AT), published on the Reference Document Database (RDD) of the European Agency of Railways.
Only this certification in accordance with the notified national technical rules (NNTR) enables your vehicle type to be authorized for use on the Austrian railway network.
What we do for you:
Design type assessment/document review: We review the dossiers and documents required for conformity assessment in accordance with the Austrian notified national technical rules (NNTR-AT) for compliance with the relevant requirements.
Production type assessment: We assess on site whether the subsystems (vehicles, on-board train protection) provided as a representative specimen for the conformity assessment correspond to the design to be certified.
Audits/inspections: To ensure that your subsystems comply with the type assessed in the design type assessment, we conduct audits of quality-assured production or inspections of other manufactured vehicles. Where possible, synergies with the NoBo evaluation are used to minimize the effort involved.
Resulting documents: The assessment result is documented in the inspection report, the certificates and the summarizing DeBo file.
Review: In an internal review, the requirements for certification are validated in accordance with an internal quality process prescribed by the accreditation standard. The certification decision is then made.
Successful completion: With the final publication of the certificates on our website, we ensure that the documents required for obtaining an authorization for placing in service in Austria are available for your vehicles.
4. ECM: Certification of maintenance organizations - our services
Directive (EU) 2016/798 of May 16, 2016, and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/779 of May 16, 2019 regulate the maintenance of rolling stock in European rail transport. Accordingly, each rolling stock must be assigned to an Entity in Charge of Maintenance (ECM), which is responsible for the correct maintenance. This entity must ensure that the rolling stock is maintained in accordance with the general and type-specific requirements and continues to comply with the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) and the provisions of the national regulations even after the maintenance work has been performed.
The activities of maintenance organizations are divided into four functions:
- ECM function I: Maintenance management function
- ECM function II: Maintenance development function
- ECM function III: Fleet maintenance management
- ECM function IV: Maintenance delivery function
These ECM functions can be combined in a maintenance organizations. However, they can also be performed jointly by several departments, with ultimate responsibility always remaining with the management function.
Following this system, maintenance organizations can be certified for one, several or all ECM functions according to their activities or competencies.
We audit and certify your maintenance organization, regardless of ECM function and scope of activity. The scope of certification is always based on your individual requirements, regardless of whether your maintenance organization is responsible for freight wagons, passenger vehicles, locomotives or special vehicles.
In the meantime, the ECM system has also become established in public transport (tramways, subway trains, tram-train vehicles), so that we are also glad to offer our certification services in this area.
What we do for you:
Our certification process usually takes place in three steps:
Document review: We review the system documents of your maintenance organization to determine whether they are suitable for the desired scope of certification.
Stage 1 audit: In an on-site stage 1 audit, we determine in advance whether your maintenance organization is ready for certification.
Stage 2 audit: The certification audit takes place on site and is documented in a corresponding audit report.
Optimization: If measures still need to be taken to achieve certification, these are defined and monitored until they are sufficiently implemented.
Review: In an internal review, the requirements for certification are validated in accordance with an internal quality process prescribed by the accreditation standard. The certification decision is then made.
Successful completion: With the final issuance of the certificates and publication in the “European Railway Agency Database of Interoperability and Safety” (ERADIS), we ensure that your maintenance organization can operate throughout Europe as a maintenance partner for rolling stock.
Newcomer certification: If you are looking to take up ECM activities for the first time without having previously obtained certification, we offer the option of newcomer certification valid for one year. If you can demonstrate your ECM-compliant activities in practice after this one year as a newcomer, full certification with a validity period of five years is possible.
5. AsBo ISA: Independent assessment body and independent safety assessment - our services
Ensuring that your projects are on the safe side.
AsBo: As an independent assessment body (Assessment Body/AsBo), we assess the implementation of your risk management process, either in the context of new vehicle authorizations or in the context of significant changes to the railway system. This is based on the requirements of Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 402/2013 of April 30, 2013 on the common safety method for the evaluation and assessment of risks. We review and assess your risk management process from system definition and risk analysis, including hazard identification and classification, through to risk evaluation and definition of the safety measures to be implemented and final verification of the safety requirements.
We recommend early coordination and involvement in order to avoid unnecessary iterations and additional work in later phases.
If your significance assessment shows that a change to the railroad system is safety relevant but not significant, we are pleased to take over the assessment of the requirements capture process in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 2018/545 of 4 April 2018 establishing practical arrangements for the railway vehicle authorisation and railway vehicle type authorisation process. This allows you to be sure that your procedures have been implemented correctly and that the result of your project meets the safety requirements.
ISA: With an Independent Safety Assessment (ISA), we assess whether your organization and the processes involved in the development, manufacture and operation of your safety-relevant systems meet the safety requirements including specific requirements of the area of use. This ensures and establishes your comprehensive risk and safety management.
Because safety, reliability and trust are our top priorities.
What we do for you:
The procedure for an independent assessment/safety assessment usually consists of the following parts:
Assessment plan: The preparation of an assessment plan defines the procedure and content of the assessment and establishes the schedule and organizational framework.
Assessment of the system definition: In a second step, it is verified whether the technical specifications, descriptions and interfaces represent a complete and conclusive assessment content.
Evaluation of requirements capture: The next step is to check whether the process of requirements capture has been established in your organization and implemented in accordance with the specifications and whether all relevant requirements for your system have been identified.
Evaluation of hazard identification and classification: Based on the previous steps and a modeling of requirements and risks, a comprehensive evaluation of hazard management is now conducted, which leads from a hazard analysis to the classification of hazards – taking into account the risk acceptance principles – to a definition of necessary measures including verification of their implementation.
Preparation of the safety assessment report: We summarize the key aspects and results of our activities in a comprehensive AsBo-report or ISA-safety assessment report on your systems. This can then be submitted to the respective authority as part of the authorization documentation.
6. Expert opinions
With our experienced experts, RCC is your partner for the following activities in accordance with the Austrian Railway Act:
- Recognition procedures
- §32a expert opinions
- §40-Persons
Expert opinion on occupational safety
- Expert opinions based on the concept for occupational health and safety R9 (standard rolling stock)
- Expert opinions based on the concept for occupational health and safety R19 (on track machines/OTMs)
Further services
- Additional services
- Accident analyses and damage assessments
- Technology assessments with regard to eligibility for authorization within the framework of the relevant regulations