In 2005, ErgoCert was the first body to obtain the SINCERT accreditation for Ergonomic Certification. In 2008, also because of the crisis that hit all of Europe and the United States, ErgoCert chose to waive the SINCERT accreditation, however prestigious, to become an academic spin-off of the University of Udine in 2009, in order to sharpen our methodologies, assessment procedures, and measuring tools. The new status did not modify the procedural scheme based on accredited systems, which was the foundation of the certifications issued by ErgoCert till then, since it complied with the transparency rules required of spin-offs by the academical world, which uses the same methodological and procedural standards. In 2019, obtaining the ACCREDIA accreditation, ErgoCert became the first internationally accredited body for the Ergonomic Certification of products, processes, and services based on ISO 17065, consolidating its position as a leader in certified ergonomic assessment. To date, we have issued over 1,000 certificates.
“Product certification” refers to a product qualification issued by an independent third-party that checks and certifies that the products to be assessed comply with specific ergonomic requirements, contained in international standards or in other regulatory frameworks.The “Regulation for the Granting and the Maintaining of the Certification of the Ergonomic Product Features” ("Regolamento per la concessione ed il mantenimento della certificazione delle caratteristiche ergonomiche di prodotto," D000-CEP) and the “General Technical Regulations” ("Disciplinare Tecnico Generale," D000-DTG) define the conditions and general procedures applied by ErgoCert, following the principles of quality.The Area Technical Regulations and the Technical Specifications define, for each of the three macro-areas of ergonomics (Polytechnical, Biomedical, and Usability/User Experience), the applicable technical standards, the ergonomic assessment requirements, the test methods, and the acceptability limits to obtain the Ergonomic Certification of products, processes and services according to UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17065.
Let’s have a look at the various steps, from the certification application to the certificate issue, depending on the certification level requested by the client company:
The client may request a compliance check related to one or more ergonomic macro-areas, which, in the case of a positive outcome, determines the obtaining of the Certification, in the following progressive levels:
The obtaining of the Product Ergonomic Certification guarantees the client the possibility to use the ErgoCert mark ("Ergonomics Certified") on the certified products and on all the communication materials (technical datasheets, brochures, websites, social media, etc.), in compliance with the ErgoCert Mark Usage Regulation.
I principali riferimenti normativi per i diversi livelli di certificazione sono i seguenti:
UNI EN ISO 26800:2011 Ergonomics - General approach, principles and concepts
UNI EN ISO 6385:2017 Ergonomic principles in the design of work systems.
UNI EN 614-1:2009 - Safety of machinery - Ergonomic principles of design
EN 894:2009 - Ergonomic requirements for the design of displays and control actuators
UNI EN ISO 14738:2009 - Safety of machinery - Anthropometric requirements for the design of workstations on machinery
UNI EN 1005:2009 - Human physical performance
ISO 11228: 2009 - Ergonomics - Manual handling
ISO 11226:2000 - Ergonomics - Evaluation of static working postures
ISO 11064 - Ergonomic design for control centers
NF X35-701: 2012 - Safety of machinery - Ergonomic principles for the design of cash desks -Self-service
ISO 9241-11:2018 - Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Part 11: Definitions and concepts
ISO/TR 16982:2002 - Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Usability methods supporting human-centered design
UNI EN ISO 15007-1:2014 -Road vehicles - Measurement of driver visual behavior in relation to transportation information and control systems.
NHTSA-2010-0053 - Guidelines for reducing driver visual-manual distraction during interaction with integrated, in-vehicle, electronic devices
ISO 9241-11:2018 - Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Part 11: Definitions and concepts
ISO/TR 16982:2002 - Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Usability methods supporting human-centered design
UNI EN ISO 15007-1:2014 -Road vehicles - Measurement of driver visual behavior in relation to transportation information and control systems.
NHTSA-2010-0053 - Guidelines for reducing driver visual-manual distraction during interaction with integrated, in-vehicle, electronic devices
ISO 9241-210:2010 - Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Part 210: Human-centred design for interactive systems - Processo HCD
ISO 9241-220:2019 - Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Part 220: Processes for enabling, executing and assessing human-centred design within organizations
Typically, the ErgoCert certifications have a three-year validity and are subject to periodic checks of surveillance/maintenance of the certified features. The certifications under accreditation carry the Accredia mark. The certified products are listed in the Certification Register, where the related Status is constantly updated (In place, Suspended, Expired, Replaced).
After the three-year period, the client may or may not request the renewal of the Ergonomic Certification.
To implement user-oriented processes (HCD) in specific projects (ISO 92141-210) or in one’s organization (ISO 9241-220) significantly increases the possibility to obtain products with superior ergonomic qualities. Scientific literature has actually proved a return-on-investment (ROI) that may reach 500% in association with the application of the Human-Centred Design process, linked:
For this reason, the HCD process certification allows to prove the implementation of the ergonomic quality in all the stages of product development, and in tenders as well.
The HCD (Human Centred Design) Certification may involve two fields:
A. HCD PRODUCT DESIGN shows that a product design process is compliant with the design principles described in ISO 9241-210. Such certification is ACCREDIA accredited and aims at showing the compliance with the ergonomic principles and the active involving of the users in all the stages of product design and product testing. ErgoCert performs documentary audits in order to check the presence and compliance of adequate outputs for every stage of the HCD process (planning, study of the context of use, definition of the requirements, design and iterative testing). In case the product design is HCD 9241-210 certified and the same product obtains the ErgoCert product certification as well, said product will obtain one more star in the rating.
B. ORGANIZATIONAL HCD PROCESS certifies the businesses’ implementation of the Human-Centred Processes in compliance with ISO 9241-220. It is a certification of organizational processes in HCD perspective, with particular reference to business strategy (HCP1), to organizational structure (HCP2), to the development of single projects (HCP3), and to the whole management system of these aspects (HCP4). This certification allows the company to show its commitment in implementing the HCD approach in all the development processes put in place.
Driver Distraction Redaction
The Driver Distraction Reduction Certification
concerns the interaction with the technological devices (e.g.
infotainment) present in vehicles, associated with secondary tasks that
divert the attention of the driver of a vehicle, removing their eyes
from the road and their hands from the steering wheel.
Several studies have identified three main types of driver distractions:
- Visual (eyes)
- Manual (eyes not on the road, and hands not on the steering wheel)
- Cognitive (lack of concentration in the driving task).ErgoCert
is the first internationally accredited certification body to offer
accredited certification according to the NHTSA-2010-0053 standard.
By using the eye tracker instrumentation, we can record eye movements
in real time and, in combination with other instruments, we can analyze
the movements of the hands and head related to distraction while
driving. The advanced technological equipment available allows us to
accurately detect these visual and biomechanical phenomena, in order to
verify the compliance of the systems assessed with the NHTSA-2010-0053
guidelines
The ergonomic design of a control center is a crucial element to ensure the efficiency and safety of operators and operations carried out. In 2011 ErgoCert drafted the Ergonomic Design Guidelines for the Control Stations of RFI (Italian Railway Network).
Today we are able to provide a certification accredited by ACCREDIA, based on the ISO 11064
series, applicable to both control stations and control centers. This
through 3D CAD review and, if required, through the application of
technical sensors (eye tracking glasses, inertial system, etc.), which
allows to obtain quantitative data by integrating the physical
(postures) and cognitive (attention, vigilance, human error) aspects. This certification is accredited by Accredia.
ICT products and services
ErgoCert offers a certification dedicated to the issue of accessibility of ICT products and services, in compliance with UNI EN 301549, of interest for public and private tenders and for organizations.
This certification is based on a procedure that allows to analyze the
functional accessibility requirements applicable to ICT products and
services, defining test procedures and evaluation methodology for each
accessibility requirement.
