Find out which way goods go before they reach the consumer market

Today, November 12, is World Quality Day. This holiday since 1989 in many countries of the world is celebrated annually on the second Thursday of November. Since its independent development, our country has defined this indicator as the most important task of state economic policy. The brand “Made in Belarus” has long been known abroad, and the consumer appreciates our products for their quality. How to check the safety of products in Belarus, learned our correspondent.

Strictly according to the standard If the theater begins with a hanger, then the way of products to the counter is from the standard. It is no secret that any product is usually produced under a regulatory document. It sets certain requirements for safety and quality. Compliance with established standards is confirmed during tests, the accuracy of which is guaranteed by measurements. The competence and impartiality of certification bodies and laboratories issuing opinions shall be ensured by accreditation. All this is aimed at allowing products to enter the market, the current state of which is controlled by state supervision bodies. This is how the quality infrastructure works. Behind its development are, of course, a modern legislative framework, competent personnel, research and technical potential.

About 500 state standards have been approved this year. More than 60 percent of them are harmonized with international requirements, which contributes to the application of internationally recognized technical solutions, the elimination of technical barriers, and the growth of export opportunities. According to the results of the implementation of the Program of socio-economic development of the Republic of Belarus for 2026-2030, the level of harmonization of standards used in high-tech industries and industries with international standards should be at least 85 percent. Therefore, to fulfill the tasks of innovative development of industry in standardization, today emphasis is placed on the development of advanced standards in high-tech industries.

Alexander Burak. A program of advanced standardization in priority areas of the national economy for 2025-2029 was developed. We are laying down requirements that will be relevant to our manufacturers, suppliers and will make their products export-oriented. In maximum terms, it corresponded to the qualities that foreign suppliers present to our products. Naturally, we want our products to be competitive, First Deputy Chairman of the State Standard Alexander Burak noted. As for the directions of the program of advanced standardization, I will highlight the development of robotic equipment, additive technologies and machine tools that meet modern requirements. Work is also underway in the areas of communication, management, nanotechnology and the creation of high-tech manufacturing and processing industries, including in agriculture.

By the way, by the end of 2029, it was planned to develop more than 120 standards that would meet modern international requirements for such products.

Today we have more than 150 topics that are in demand. It is gratifying that we already have draft documents in some areas, but in 2026 we have developed and approved modern requirements for robots and issues related to additive products for use in Belarus. Of course we can be proud of that. Along with international standardization, we have introduced a management system standard in the field of artificial intelligence, which is very important for our manufacturers who use the principles of building a management system based on artificial intelligence in their work, added Alexander Burak. However, the standard will remain a document if it does not have measurements and tests that can confirm its compliance. For this purpose, an objective independent verification and proof of the properties of the goods declared by the manufacturer are carried out. Everything is documented. Today, the national register of conformity assessment documents contains more than 245,000 such documents. Such a large number is a marker of a developed control system. For the buyer, this means that he can at any time check the legality and safety of purchased household appliances, food, children's goods or clothing simply by the number of the document.

Today, the country has built a large-scale and effective national accreditation system that ensures the safety, quality and competitiveness of both domestic and imported products. In Belarus, there are more than 2,200 accredited conformity assessment bodies, that is, competent laboratories and certification bodies, which confirm the compliance of products with the requirements of technical regulations and standards not only at the national, but also at the regional and international levels.

However, there are truly unique laboratories. In 2020, a new test site was opened at the Belarusian State Institute of Standardization and Certification – a radio anechoic camera. It is designed for tests on electromagnetic compatibility of vehicles and industrial equipment, including large-sized ones. In terms of its capabilities, the camera is unique not only in our country, but also in the entire post-Soviet space. During its work, more than a thousand units of various equipment have already been tested.

Olga Milaenkova. This camera allows you to test both mechanical engineering products and household appliances, which are constantly used by consumers in everyday life. These are washing machines, televisions, lighting equipment. All electrical engineering, which creates electromagnetic interference and must be resistant to them, is tested here. As for transport, during the testing of prototypes, there were cases when the fire extinguishing system was triggered when exposed to interference or doors were opened on the move, which should not happen. All this is directly related to the safety of consumers and passengers. To exclude such situations, our manufacturers conduct tests in the laboratory when putting products into production. If shortcomings are identified, we jointly eliminate them so that a high-quality product goes into mass production, said Olga Milaenkova, head of the BelGISS test center. One of the priority directions in the activities of the supervisory bodies of the State Standard is the exclusion of dangerous products that can cause harm to human life and health, property of citizens, and the environment. To identify such products on the market, inspections and monitoring are carried out by the State Standard. Only for 9 months of this year, 677 items were added to the list of dangerous products.

Ivan Kislenko. Of these, about 40 percent were food products, then electrical, goods for children and adolescents, toys and others. State Standard successfully conducts its supervisory activities. Our products in our markets are exceptionally high-quality, and we promptly identify and prohibit all low-quality goods for sale, said Ivan Kislenko, Deputy Chairman of the State Standard. The development of the reference base is of strategic importance for the country's economy, providing a high level of measurement accuracy and contributing to the growth of industrial potential, increasing the competitiveness of domestic products. Currently, it has 70 national standards, which allow transferring a unit of magnitude to measuring instruments used in various fields. Importantly, each of them was created solely for the needs of the economy. Four new national unit standards will be created and eight upgraded by 2030. Their application is most in demand in instrumentation, automotive, telecommunications, biological, chemical-pharmaceutical and medical technologies.

- In 2026, more than 5 million measuring instruments passed the state verification, during which their metrological characteristics were confirmed - the accuracy of the measurements performed. The range of measuring instruments used today is extremely wide, and in this regard, it is necessary that their verification be carried out directly in our country. This is also an important component of technological sovereignty, since it saves both funds of enterprises and time for carrying out this procedure, Ivan Kislenko, Deputy Chairman of the State Standard, noted.

One of the striking examples is the development of verification of neutron radiation measurement instruments, which are now possible with the help of a new national standard of neutron flux density units, absorbed power and equivalent doses of neutron radiation, commissioned at the end of last year. These measurements are relevant in connection with the development of nuclear energy in the country.

sichevich@sb.by