Indonesian National Standards (Standar Nasional Indonesia or SNI), as stipulated in Article 20 paragraph (2) of Government Regulation No. 34, can be applied to goods traded or distributed, services provided, processes or systems implemented, and personnel involved in specific activities. Businesses that have obtained SNI certification are required to affix the SNI mark and/or conformity mark on their products, packaging, or labels, as stated in the 2018 regulation.
The application of SNI can be either voluntary or mandatory, depending on the needs of the business. For voluntary application, businesses that meet the criteria can apply for certification to a Conformity Assessment Body (Lembaga Penilaian Kesesuaian or LPK) accredited by the National Accreditation Committee (Komite Akreditasi Nasional or KAN). On the other hand, mandatory application of SNI applies to producers, considering factors such as safety, security, health, environmental preservation, national competitiveness, and other national interests in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
According to Article 3 of Government Regulation No. 102 of 2000, SNI aims to enhance protection for consumers, businesses, workers, and the community. Additionally, SNI helps facilitate trade and create fair competition. For businesses that have implemented SNI, it is crucial to comply with the standards and conformity assessment obligations for goods, services, systems, processes, or personnel.
Conformity certificates are issued by Product Certification Bodies (Lembaga Sertifikasi Produk or LSPro) following a surveillance process, as stipulated in BSN (Badan Standardisasi Nasional) Regulation No. 4 of 2019. LSPro is required to conduct surveillance at least twice during the certification period. Surveillance is a systematic iteration of the conformity assessment process to maintain the validity of certification (ISO/IEC 17000:2004, 6.1).
The first surveillance activity includes factory inspections or assessments of production processes and/or testing of products that will be circulated. The type of activity in the first surveillance is determined based on LSPro’s evaluation of the previous certification results. If the first surveillance is only conducted through product sampling tests, the certificate holder must provide documentation of production quality control from the certificate issuance until the first surveillance. The second surveillance involves factory inspections or assessments of production processes and testing of products that are already or will be circulated.
Surveillance is conducted by LSPro in accordance with the issued SNI certificate. The general process of surveillance involves submitting an application to LSPro, document review, payment, auditor assignment, sample collection, conformity audit, result evaluation, and certificate issuance. This process ensures that the product continues to meet the established standards.
In conclusion, surveillance is a crucial part of maintaining certification validity, ensuring that certified products, processes, or systems continue to meet established standards. Thus, the implementation of surveillance not only supports compliance with applicable regulations but also enhances national industry competitiveness and provides consumer protection through the assurance of quality and safety of traded products.
If you, a prospective client, have further inquiries about the topic discussed above, Schinder Law Firm is one of many corporate law firms in Indonesia that has handled numerous similar matters, with many experienced and professional corporate and civil lawyers in its arsenal, making it one of the top consulting firms in Indonesia. Feel free to contact us at info@schinderlawfirm.com for further consultation.
Author:
Dewi Susanti