Frequently asked questions

May 20, 2024 #Operators

Where to apply for a PMD certificate?

In Ukraine, the following have the right to conduct certification of PMD operators:

The certification authority of the Center for mine action of the DSST:
Address: 14017, Chernihiv region, Chernihiv city
EDRPOU code: 26630158
Phone: (0462)677-022
e-mail: [email protected]
Interregional Center for Humanitarian Demining and Rapid Response of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Address: 63212, p. Vatutine, Kharkiv district, Kharkiv region;
EDRPOU code: 33879077
Phone: 05740 68 3 29
e-mail: [email protected]
Demining center of military unit A2641 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Address: 32300, str. Stepana Bandera, 56, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi region
EDRPOU code: 24982999 Phone: 03849 50290 E-mail: [email protected]
State Certification Center of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine
Address: 01024, Kyiv, str. 20/1 Kruglounversitetska
EDRPOU code: 14319662
Phone: +38 (044) 461-91-30
E-mail: [email protected]

How to submit documents for certification?

All information and documentation is provided on paper and in electronic format. Information and documentation is provided on paper with the signature of the head of the applicant organization, certified by the seal of the legal entity (PMD operator).

Copies of documents provided on paper media must be certified by the mine action operator in accordance with the procedure specified in Chapter 11 of Section II of the Rules for the Organization of Recordkeeping and Archival Storage of Documents in State Bodies, Local Self-Government Bodies, Enterprises, Institutions and Organizations Approved by Order of the Ministry of of the Law of Ukraine dated 18.06.2015 No. 1000/5.

Electronic documents are submitted as scanned copies in PDF format on USB flash drives.

In what language should I submit documents for certification if the organization is international?

All documents are submitted by the applicant to the certification body in the state language.

Documents drawn up in another language are submitted with an official translation.

Documents written in another language will not be accepted without an official translation.

Official translation must be understood to be carried out by an appropriate qualified translator or an appropriate center translation of documents into the state language.

What are the types of certification?

At the current state in Ukraine, certification is carried out for the following PMD processes:

primary certification – when the PMD operator submits an application for certification for the first time;
re-certification – to extend the current certification;
expansion of the scope of certification – when the PMD operator submits an application for certification of certain PMD processes in the presence of valid certification for other processes.

Which processes in the field of mine action can be certified?

The name of the process	UANMAC	Interregional Center for Humanitarian Demining and Rapid Response of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine
Non-technical examination	+	+
Technical examination	+	+
Clearing the area of hostilities	+	+
Demining by hand	+	+
Procedure for decontamination (destruction) of mines / explosive remnants of war	+	+
Educating the public about the risks associated with mines and explosive remnants of war	+	-
Demining using machines and mechanisms	+	-

What is the full and short certification scheme?

The full certification scheme consists of four stages and must be used for:

primary certification of the organization with PMD, as well as:
in cases of revocation of previous certification;
when serious inconsistencies and violations of the requirements of the certification agreement are detected by the PMD organization during monitoring during the validity of the previous certificate;
if during the validity of the preliminary certification, the mechanism for suspending the validity of the certificate was used for the organization with PMD;
if there have been changes in the organization related to the organization’s management structure, personnel, equipment, technology or changes in SOPs.

The abbreviated certification scheme consists of three stages and is used for:

re-certification of the organization with PMD, if no cases specified in the full scheme were detected and it provides for the exclusion of the on-site conformity assessment stage from the full certification scheme.
a decision on the application of a simplified assessment certification scheme can be made if the last monitoring is carried out no later than three months before the date of application for re-certification and the operator of mine action during the period of the current certification has ensured compliance with:
- deadlines for carrying out monitoring activities;
- deadlines for implementation of planned measures according to certified processes of mine countermeasures;
- terms and quality of reporting to the administrator of the Information Management System in the field of mine countermeasures;
- fulfillment of the requirements specified in the certification agreement.
The simplified certification scheme does not apply if, during the certification period, the scope (part of the certification scope) of the operator was suspended or limited (unless the mine action operator at his own discretion applied to the Certification Body of the Mine Action Center with a statement on the suspension of certification ( part of the certification area) - for a period of no more than one year; limitation of the area (part of the area) of certification according to certain processes), and applied for re-certification, as well as in the presence of the following confirmed facts:
- three or more critical inconsistencies were committed by the mine action operator during the current certification period;
- Violations were committed by the operator of mine countermeasures, in respect of which complaints were submitted by the subjects of mine countermeasures and other interested parties, executive authorities, law enforcement agencies, state supervision (control) bodies, and the facts of their commission were confirmed;
- the operator of mine countermeasures did not provide the proper conditions for monitoring or did not meet the established monitoring deadlines;
- during the period of the current certification, more than three cases of non-compliance with the deadlines for the implementation of the planned measures according to the certified processes were established;
- during the certification period, more than five cases of non-submission, untimely submission or submission of inappropriate reporting to the administrator of the Information Management System in the field of mine countermeasures were established;
- incidents (accidents) occurred during the mine action operator’s certification period during work.

What are the stages of certification?

The certification process consists of a number of mandatory stages:

acceptance and preliminary consideration of the application;
assessment of compliance with regulatory documents of the provided information and documentation;
on-site compliance assessments;
registration and issuance of certificates.

What does the stage of acceptance and preliminary consideration of an application include?

This stage includes:

reception,
registration,
informing about the receipt of the applicant’s application and accompanying documents
conclusion of the contract.

Description: according to the provided documents, it is determined whether the Applicant meets the requirements of Part 3, Article 28, Chapter III of the Law of Ukraine “On mine action in Ukraine” and has the right to acquire the status of a mine action operator, namely:

Enterprises, institutions or organizations located on the territory of offshore zones or registered on the territory of states to which, in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine and the resolutions of the Security Council of the United Nations, other international organizations, the decisions of the Council of the European Union, cannot acquire the status of a mine action operator other interstate associations and foreign states have sanctions applied, or if they originate from a state recognized as an occupying state in accordance with the law of Ukraine and (or) recognized as an aggressor state in relation to Ukraine in accordance with the law.

and also whether the Applicant meets the requirements of Part 3, Article 29, Chapter IV of the Law of Ukraine “On mine action in Ukraine” and has the right to carry out certification on a free basis”, namely:

Certification of government operators of mine action activities and non-governmental/non-profit enterprises, institutions and organizations entered into the Register of non-profit institutions and organizations, if the implementation of mine action activities meets their statutory goals, is carried out free of charge.”

If the applicant meets the points above, a contract is concluded for the performance of work on the examination of the application for certification.

In the event that the specified forms are filled in incorrectly or the provided information and documents are insufficient, the applicant must finalize the provided set of documents.
The deadline for finalizing documents should not exceed 60 days. If the finalization period exceeds 60 days, the application is canceled.

The term of consideration of the application is up to one month from the date of receipt of funds to the account of the Mine Action Center under the contract or from the date of conclusion of the contract for applicants” (on a free basis), which are defined in Article 29-1 of the Law of Ukraine “On Mine Action” (without taking into account the deadlines finalization of documents - 60 days).

Which includes the stage of assessing compliance with regulatory documents of the provided information and documentation.

This stage includes the conclusion of a contract with the OS for the performance of work on assessing compliance with regulatory documents of the provided information and documentation.
After concluding the contract, the OS begins work on assessing the compliance of the Applicant’s documentation with regulatory documents.

Based on the analysis of the documents, the OS makes a decision on compliance of the documentation and information with the requirements of regulatory documents and sends a response to the Applicant:

if inconsistencies are detected during the conformity assessment, it is possible to perform corrective measures within 90 calendar days (after which the OS can repeat the work on this stage a maximum of two times).
if a positive decision is made, preparations are made for on-site assessment.

The period of analysis of the provided information and documentation - up to two months from the date of receipt of funds to the account under the contract or from the date of conclusion of the contract for applicants” (on a free basis), defined in Article 29-1 of the Law of Ukraine “On mine action” (excluding the deadline for finalizing documents - 60 days).

What does the on-site compliance assessment phase include?

The purpose of the on-site assessment is to confirm that the proposed measures will be implemented and managed in accordance with documented procedures as required by the certification agreement.

This stage includes the conclusion of a contract for the performance of on-site conformity assessment works.
After the conclusion of the contract, the OS begins work on the on-site conformity assessment in accordance with the agreed work plan, which is an appendix to the concluded agreement. On-site compliance assessment includes:
- inspection of relevant premises, areas, equipment in order to determine their compliance with SOP requirements;
- demonstration of the execution of the processes specified in the application.
  The demonstration should be as realistic as possible, including data collection, information management, emergency medical care and logistics, depending on the process requirements according to the Applicant’s SOP. The specific place of the demonstration (training ground) is determined by the Applicant in agreement with the OS;
- verification of personnel and their competence according to the submitted documents at the previous stage;
- verification of SOPs, other governing documents and relevant quality management processes to the documentation provided for assessment.
Making a decision on on-site compliance assessment and informing the applicant:
- if inconsistencies are detected during the on-site assessment of conformity, the opportunity is given to perform corrective measures within 30 calendar days, after which the OS makes a decision to conduct a second on-site assessment.
- if the adoption of a positive decision by the OS continues the certification process.

The deadline for the elimination of non-conformities that were discovered at the site of the assessment is no more than 90 days from the day following the day of completion of the on-site assessment.

No more than one on-site reassessment is permitted.

The term of conducting an on-site assessment is up to two months from the date of receipt of funds under the contract to the account of the Mine Action Center or from the date of conclusion of the contract for applicants” (on a free basis), as defined in Article 29-1 of the Law of Ukraine “On Mine Action” (without taking into account the deadlines for finalizing documents - 60 days).

What does the certification stage include?

Conclusion of a contract for the execution of work on the issuance of certificates.
After the conclusion of the contract, the OS begins work on the issuance of certificates, having previously analyzed all the information obtained during the evaluation process, as well as any other relevant information. Based on the results of the analysis of the conformity assessment materials, the following decisions can be made:
- the assessment confirmed the Applicant’s fulfillment of the stated requirements - the certification process continues;
- the assessment revealed the Applicant’s inability to fulfill the stated requirements or the Applicant is unable to take measures to correct the situation within the relevant period - the certification process is terminated and the Applicant is informed about this and the reasons for such a decision in writing.
In the case of a positive decision on granting certification to the Applicant, the OS concludes a certification agreement.
After concluding the certification agreement, the OS issues Certificates of conformity of the established sample, containing the following information:
- certificate number in the Journal of accounting and issuing certificates to PMD operators;
- name and address of the certification body;
- the date of certification (the date must not precede the date of the decision on certification);
- name and address of the organization (Applicant);
- scope of certification;
- certificate expiration date;
- signature of the OS head;
- OS stamp.

The certificate of conformity is issued to the applicant after:

a certification agreement was signed;
certification requirements are met;
a decision was made to provide or expand the scope of certification.

The deadline for making a decision on certification is up to one month from the date of receipt of funds under the contract to the account of the Mine Action Center or from the date of conclusion of the contract for applicants” (on a free basis), which are defined in Article 29-1 of the Law of Ukraine “On Mine Action”.

Note: In the event of a positive decision to grant certification to the Applicant, the Interregional Humanitarian Center demining and rapid response of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine concludes a certification agreement with the Applicant agreement.

The certification agreement has legal force and determines the requirements for the Applicant to maintain the compliance of the certified processes in accordance with established requirements, as well as the responsibility of the Interregional Center for Humanitarian Demining and Rapid response of the State Emergency Service and the Applicant throughout the validity period of the Certificate of Conformity.

After concluding a certification agreement, the Interregional Center for Humanitarian Demining and Rapid Response of the Emergency Situations issues Certificates of conformity of the established sample.

What information must be provided when applying?

For the relevant certification scheme, it is necessary to submit information on:

processes applied for certification;
standards and/or other regulatory documents for compliance with which certification will be conducted;
General characteristics:
- name and address(es) of location
- material aspects of processes and activities, any relevant legal obligations
- general information relevant to the declared scope of certification, such as:
  - activities
  - human and technical resources, laboratories and/or means of inspection
  - functions and relationships within the larger corporation, if applicable
information relating to all subcontracting processes used by the Applicant that affect compliance;
all other information required in accordance with the relevant certification requirements, in particular:
- information for initial assessment and monitoring activities (e.g. locations where certified processes are applied)
- contact persons at these facilities.

What is the cost of certification processes?

Certification of government mine action operators and non-governmental/non-profit enterprises, institutions and organizations entered into the Register of non-profit institutions and organizations, if the implementation of mine action measures meets their statutory goals, is carried out free of charge.

Payment for certification services is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On mine action” on the basis of contracts for the performance of certification works. Calculations of the cost of works are carried out in accordance with the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 12.07.2017 No. 514 “On the approval of the Rules for determining the cost of works for assessing compliance with the requirements of technical regulations, which are carried out by designated compliance assessment bodies and recognized independent organizations.”