Chapter III: Conformity certification procedures

Notified bodies are the bodies responsible for implementing the conformity assessment procedures or carrying out the conformity assessment operations defined by this chapter. They are authorised by order of the Minister for Labour and notified to the European Commission and to the other Member States.

For work equipment or means of protection intended specifically for agricultural or forestry use, the powers of the Minister for Labour are exercised by the Minister for Agriculture.

Accreditation is granted to a body on the basis of its independence, competence and integrity, as well as the availability of the resources needed to fulfil its mission and meet its responsibilities. A ministerial order specifies the conditions necessary for a body to meet these criteria and, in particular, the role assigned to accreditation.

In order to enable the Minister responsible for labour to assess the guarantees presented by the approved bodies, the latter undertake to allow the persons designated by the Minister access to their premises and to carry out all investigations to verify that they continue to satisfy the conditions mentioned in this section.

If the Minister for Employment remains silent on an application for authorisation for more than four months, this will be deemed to constitute a rejection decision.

In the event of failure to comply with the obligations set out in this section, authorisation is withdrawn by order of the Minister responsible for labour after obtaining the opinion of the Conseil d’orientation des conditions de travail and after the head of the body has been invited to present his observations. This order specifies the conditions under which the files held by the body are made available to the…

Complaints may be lodged against the decisions of authorised bodies under the conditions set out in article R. 4313-35.