Latest news from Kiwa

Dutch energy distributor Alliander asked Kiwa to research and visualize the combustion of hydrogen at low concentrations. Kiwa developed a special test box and recording. The video shows that at low concentrations, the probability of ignition of hydrogen is lower compared with natural gas.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) took a historic step on 23 February 2024, by incorporating climate change into a wide range of management system standards. This means that climate change is now a mandatory component of no less than 31 system standards, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, and ISO 50001. The changes took effect immediately upon publication.

The Safety Culture Ladder (SCL) is being increasingly utilized by organizations as a tool to measure and promote safety awareness. The SCL originated in the Dutch railway sector but is now being internationally employed by a wide range of organizations. This broader application prompted a revision of the SCL handbook and certification scheme, resulting in the introduction of Safety Culture Ladder 2.0, which has been in effect since the beginning of this year.

As an authority in energy and water distribution, Kiwa has been involved in testing and certifying materials used in gas, water and other pipeline systems for years. Kiwa's material experts have accumulated a wealth of experience, utilized in residual lifetime and failure assessments, resulting in a well-equipped material research laboratory that serves the entire energy and water sector.

Important news for independent auto, damage repair and motorhome companies: SERMI certification, mandatory for theft prevention-related software and vehicle parts, takes effect in the Netherlands on April 1, 2024. You will are able to easily and quickly start your certification online with Kiwa.

This month marks the start of the third phase of the public-private hydrogen research program HyDelta. HyDelta 3 focuses on the economic and technical integration of hydrogen gas into the national gas transportation and distribution system. As part of the HyDelta consortium, Kiwa is taking on a significant number of work packages within HyDelta 3.

Cybersecurity remains a hot topic, not only due to the continuously increasing number of hacks and ransomware attacks but also from the perspective of regulators and the evolving legal framework in this field. Europe is on the verge of introducing new cybersecurity guidelines: the Network and Information Security Directive 2 (NIS2).

There is now a European version of the revised standard for information security management systems ISO/IEC 27001 that was updated last year. This European version is identical to the global version, with the addition of a European preface.

The Dutch Red Cross (het Nederlandse Rode Kruis, NRK) and Kiwa have recently agreed upon a collaboration regarding the assessment of First Aid training programs. As part of this initiative, Kiwa conducts audits during First Aid courses at various locations.

The recent revision of ISO 27001:2022 has led to changes and new opportunities for organizations involved in information security. We asked Marjolein Veenstra, Kiwa's scheme manager for ISO 27001, to delve deeper into the implications and benefits of this revision.