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ContentsFrom the Chair ................................................2News from the ILAC Secretariat .....................3ILAC, IAF and IEC CAB Commence aNew Phase of Cooperation............................5ILAC Committee newsSADC Marketing Workshop.............................6International updateILAC Work proposal in 2006 leads to anew International Standard for PT in 2010........7ISO publishes new standard for ReferenceMaterial Producers (RMPs).............................8Regional cooperationsFrom the APLAC Secretariat................................9A Great Leap for EA.......................................10EA Membership and Cooperation:State of play in early 2010............................11EA is standing on its own two feet................12IAAC Report...................................................12Accreditation updateITALY unifies accreditation system................18COFRAC Health at the Heartof Accreditation.............................................18CALA Honoured to Host ILAC/IAF 2009 ......19Argentine Accreditation Body:Winner of the National Quality Award...........21Accreditation Week 2009 in Cyprus..............22DAC becomes ILAC MRA signatory..............24The Egyptian AccreditationCouncil “EGAC”...........................................25ema’s National Strategy to StrengthenAccreditation and Conformity Assessment...26SADCAS and SANAS sign Twinningpartnership arrangement..............................27Re-regulation of Swedish vehicle inspection....28Croatian Accreditation Agency (HAA)............30Hong Kong to Promote the Developmentof the Testing and Certification Industry.......31MAURITAS Accredits The Plant PathologyLaboratory of AREU......................................32MAURITAS participates in the 1stSADC set week.............................................32News from TAF..............................................33StakeholdersEUROLAB workshop on Accreditationwith flexible scope........................................34From the ChairThe past year has been a very important one for ILACduring which we have registered several importantachievements.First of all, I wish to mention the ever increasinginternational recognition of the ILAC Arrangement.In this respect, more US regulators (the ConsumerProduct Safety Commission (CPSC) for toy testing andthe Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in thenuclear area) have clearly expressed their wish to rely onlaboratories accredited by ILAC Full Members. In the same vein, ILAC is nowalso mentioned as a key player by the United Nations.The relationship with IEC is another success story. In 2010, we arecommencing a new concept of cooperation, replacing the onsite joint ILAC/IEC or IAF/IEC assessments of conformity assessment bodies by a uniqueassessment led by the ILAC Full Member accreditation body in the case of alaboratory and by the IAF MLA signatory in the case of a certification bodyand using technical experts, chosen by the accreditation body, from a list ofexperts qualified by the IEC. This new concept will be of great benefit forlaboratories and product certification bodies, diminishing the overall cost ofachieving both accreditation and recognition by IEC.The continued excellent cooperation with WADA must also be highlighted.The training of accreditation technical experts by WADA is conducted on anannual basis and WADA relies on accreditation by ILAC members to ensurethe competence of their recognised laboratories.All these examples are very good signs.Certainly, there is a lot of progress still to be made in many other fields butwe are on the right track.However, I wish to underline again that making the accreditation conceptmore well-known and the benefits of international recognition through MLAsat the worldwide level more visible, requires a robust cooperation with IAF,our sister organisation.In this respect, the negative results of the ballots conducted at the end of2009, about the future of the two organisations, should not be considered asan end to this cooperation.Nearly two thirds of the members of each organisation expressed their wishto have a unique worldwide cooperation of accreditation bodies. According toour voting rules this was not sufficient (seventy five percent majority required)to achieve such a change.However, this result definitely does not prevent ILAC and IAF fromstrengthening their cooperation for the benefit of all accreditation bodymembers, stakeholders and beyond them to the global economy.Let us improve our efficiency!ILAC Publications.................................35© ILAC News 2010Produced by NATA Communications.ILAC News is published twice a year by the ILAC Secretariat.Contributions represent the view of the authors. Such views andopinions do not necessarily reflect ILAC Policy.Daniel PierreChair2 Issue 37 | April 2010

ILAC News| Regional CooperationsA Great Leap forwardfor EAEA has been appointed by the EuropeanCommission as the official Europeanaccreditation infrastructure. Theappointment became effective on 1 April2009 in Brussels when the Guidelinesfor Cooperation between the EuropeanCommission (EC), the EFTA, EA andthe competent national authorities weresigned I . The Guidelines set out thecommon policy objectives and principlesof cooperation agreed by the parties.The appointment of EA as the officialEuropean accreditation infrastructurefollows the adoption of Regulation (EC) no765/2008 of the European Parliament andthe Council of 9 July 2008 establishing alegal framework for accreditation in theEU/EFTA member states. This regulationcame into effect as of 1 January 2010.A consequence of the appointmentrequires that EA revises its Articles ofAssociation and Rules of Procedure toreflect EA’s new role and responsibilities.To fulfil this enhanced role to harmonisethe accreditation criteria applied to CABs,EA has defined horizontal criteria forconformity assessment bodies (CABs)seeking accreditation for notificationpurposes, to be applied with relevantharmonised standards, guidancedocuments and Community or nationalrequirements II .To achieve consistency throughoutEurope, in addition to greater transparencyand acceptability to all, includingnational authorities, the peer-evaluationprocess will need to be tailored tofully accommodate the specific needsof regulatory sectors to strengthen thereassurance of sectoral stakeholders andregulators that the accreditation bodies’technical competence is thoroughlyassessed.To meet such ambitions, 13 directivenetworks covering 21 New ApproachDirectives have been established to collect,structure and make accessible all technicalknowledge required for CABs’ assessment.Progress of this wide-ranging task, whichreflects the high expectations set by thecompetent national authorities, will bereported to and monitored by the new EAHorizontal Harmonization Committee.Communication is a pivotal functionfor the consistent implementation of thenew regulation. The latter formalisesEA members’ obligations to satisfy theexpectations of national authorities andstakeholders, which entrust greaterresponsibility from their nationalaccreditation body (NAB). A BestPractice Guide on Communications withthe Regulators has been published toassist EA and its members to developand strengthen cooperation with bothnational and European regulators III .Similarly EA itself shall enhance itscommunications with the EC: EA shallattend every SOGS IV meeting dealingwith accreditation, as well as meetingsof the EC Inter-Service Steering Groupfor Accreditation in order to discussthe benefits of accreditation with thevarious EC services; projects are alreadyunderway with DGs Environment,Transport, Health & Consumer andAgriculture.EA is also required to consultand interact in a more efficient andtransparent way with its stakeholders.The EA Advisory Board (EAAB) shall bethe “appropriate structure to ensure theeffective and balanced involvement of allinterested parties”, particularly to managethe increasing number of bodies wishingto become EA stakeholders. The EAABTerms of Reference have been revisedaccordingly.Moreover, the EA Policy for Relationswith Stakeholders (as defined inEA-1/15) has been adopted in order toformally grant a distinct status withassociated rights and obligations to those“recognised” stakeholders who wish tobecome more directly involved in EA’sassociative life and have a particularinstitutional interest in contributing toEA’s technical activities without, however,meeting the criteria for becoming EA fullmembers.Remaining issues to be resolved by EAin 2010 include cross-border accreditationand transitional measures for accreditationcertificates according to article 39 in theRegulation.A Framework Partnership Agreement(FPA) with the EC is still underdiscussion. The FPA will specify the tasksEA will be obliged to perform accordingto Regulation 765 and the Guidelinessigned. The activities EA shall completefollowing the FPA will be specified in anEA Work Programme, which shall alsobe approved by the Commission. TheCommission will provide funding to EAenabling EA to deliver the services agreedin the work programme and relatedbudget.”IA link to the Guidelines is available on the Homepage of the EA website.IISee EA-2/17: EA Guidance on the horizontal requirements for the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies for notification purposes.IIIA link to the Best Practice Guide is available on the EA website, section Communication Materials / Communication with Regulators.IV The SOGS (Senior Officials Group on Standards and Conformity Assessment Policy) is an advisory committee to the European Commission dedicated to conformityassessment and standardisation issues.10 Issue 37 | April 2010

ILAC News| Regional CooperationsEA Membership andCooperation: State of play inearly 2010German and Italian regulatoryadjustmentsIn accordance with European Regulationno 765/2008 which states that each nationalauthority in the EU Member States shallestablish one single national accreditationbody in charge of all accreditations, someadjustments have been carried out within theEA membership.The restructuring process of the Germanaccreditation system has been successfullycompleted. The merger of DACH, DAPand TGA to form DGA has been acceptedby EA as a full member. EA MLA signatorystatus has also been transferred to DGA. Thejoint transfer of full EA membership fromDKD and DGA to a new legal entity namedDAkkS (Deustche AkkreditierungstelleGmbH) was also agreed at the 24th EAGeneral Assembly held in November2009. DAkkS has been formally entrustedwith public tasks of the German nationalaccreditation body by the Federal Republicof Germany.The restructuring process is also underwayto the Italian accreditation system. TheEA full membership and signatorystatus have been jointly transferred fromSINCERT and SINAL to ACCREDIA(responsible for the accreditation of testing,product and quality system certification,personnel certification, EMS certificationand inspection). Similarly, the EA fullmembership and signatory status of SIT hasbeen transferred to COPA, responsible forthe accreditation of calibration. On 8 January2010, EA was informed that ACCREDIAhas been appointed as the Italian nationalaccreditation body for all scopes, includingcalibration.To date, the EA family numbers 33full members representing 33 Europeancountries. Among these, there are 29The whole EA community attending the 24th EA General Assembly held on 25 and 26 November2009 in Bruges, Belgium.A break in the meeting room for the 24th EA General Assembly held on 25 and 26 November 2009in Bruges, Belgium.signatories to the EA MLA, of which 20have signed for all accreditation activitiespresently covered by the EA MLA.Extended EA cooperation withnon-European countriesTwenty non-European accreditationbodies have signed a contract of cooperationwith EA. The last four signatories includethe accreditation bodies of Montenegro,Kazakhstan, Kosovo under the UNSCResolution 1244/1999 and Georgia.Eleven of these contracts of cooperationhave developed into bilateral agreementswith EA.A2LA bilateral agreementwith EAThe contract of cooperation betweenEA and A2LA and the related bilateralagreement has been terminated by A2LAin 2009 because of A2LA’s difficulties infulfilling the future requirements set by EApursuant to Regulation (EC) no 765/2008.ILAC News11

ILAC News| Regional CooperationsEA is standing on itsown two feetTo effectively carry out its new role, asdefined in Regulation (EC) no 765/2008which comes into effect from 2010, EA hasgained full independence from COFRAC, theFrench national accreditation body. Takingthe appropriate legal advice, EA has formallydeclared that the Paris offices will accommodatethe EA Secretariat and that EA will become thedirect employer of its current three members ofstaff.In 2006, the EA Secretariat was establishedas a permanent structure in France. Following a4-year pilot phase from 2006 to 2009, the EAGeneral Assembly agreed on the transfer of stafffrom COFRAC to EA in May 2009. The signingof the agreement with COFRAC and the threeindividual employment contracts took place on17 December 2009, which will remain a redletterday in EA’s story. All agreements becameeffective on 1 January 2010.The EA accounts, which have previously beenincluded in the COFRAC reporting systemduring the pilot phase, have subsequentlybeen transferred to an independent accountingcompany in Paris.The employment of the EA Secretariat proves asignificant milestone for the Association, whichhas now clearly entered into a new phase of itsexistence as Europe’s accreditation structurein order to meet both the challenges of itsnew role and the expectations of its numerousstakeholders.Signing of the EA-COFRAC transfer agreement between Graham Talbot, EA Chairman (left), and DanielPierre, COFRAC Managing Director (right), on 17 December 2009 in Paris.Signing of the employment contracts with EA by the 3 staff members of the Paris Secretariat on 17December 2009. From left to right: Frédérique Laudinet, Martine Blum and Bénédicte Ziemann.IAAC ReportThis report includes IAAC activities from September 2009 to December 2009.IAAC MLA scope extensionThe Inter American AccreditationCooperation (IAAC) has submitted anapplication to extend its IAF MLA forthe scopes of accreditation of Productand Environmental Management SystemsCertification Bodies, and for InspectionBodies. Currently, IAAC is a RegionalCooperation Body signatory of theILAC MRA with a scope in Testingand Calibration Laboratories, and also asignatory of the IAF MLA with a scopein QMS.IAAC has started operating MLAsfor the scopes of EMS CertificationBodies, Product Certification Bodies andInspection Bodies.The ILAC-IAF evaluation teamleader performed an evaluation ofthe IAAC MLA Group, and theMLA Committee, on 29-30 August2009 and also evaluated the IAACSecretariat on 1-2 September 2009, inCosta Rica.12Issue 37 | April 2010

from previoust pageMarch 2010• Workshop on clinical/medicallaboratory accreditation based on ISO15189 in Santo Domingo, DominicanRepublic held on 11-13 November2009• Workshop on Food Certification washeld in Buenos Aires, Argentina on28-30 September 2009• A peer evaluator training workshopwas held in San Jose, Costa Rica, on 4September 2009• Seminar “Market surveillance throughaccredited Conformity AssessmentBodies” was held in San Jose, CostaRica, on 3 September 2009.IAAC Proficiency TestingprogramsIAAC T005 Proficiency Test forpreservatives in non-alcoholic beverages.An IAAC regional proficiency testingprogram on preservative analysis in nonalcoholic beverages is being organisedby OAA/INTI of Argentina and will bestarting soon. Invitations will be sent toIAAC, APLAC and SADCA members.IAAC T004 Proficiency Test forWine. An IAAC regional proficiencytesting program on wine analysis isbeing carried out by DTA-IBMETROof Bolivia. Registration began in April2009 and the distribution of samples iscurrently underway. This program includeslaboratories from the IAAC and APLACregions.IAAC T003 Proficiency Test for FattyAcids. An IAAC regional proficiencytesting program on Fatty Acid compositionin Vegetable Oil is being carried outby OAA/INTI of Argentina. Thisprogram began in November 2008 andthe preliminary report is being finalised.Laboratories from the IAAC region as wellas laboratories from 8 APLAC membersand 2 SADCA members participated.IAAC T002 Proficiency Test forThermocouples. An IAAC regionalproficiency testing program on Type KThermocouples organised by ECA, CostaRica, and NVLAP of USA began in April2009 and is currently underway. Thisprogram includes laboratories from theIAAC, APLAC and SADCA regions.Cooperation withinternational and regionalorganisationsCooperation with IAF:Beatriz García, IAAC Chair, became amember of the IAF Executive Committee.Randy Dougherty, IAF Chair, provideda presentation at the IAAC GeneralAssembly meeting held in San Jose, CostaRica, on 4 September 2009.IAF and IAAC carried out the joint peerevaluation of OAA, Argentina, in 2008,and the joint evaluation of INN, Chile, in2009.At the request of IAF, IAAC willprovide two regional peer evaluators(team members) for the evaluation of PACin 2009, and IAAC will also provide aregional evaluator for the evaluation of EAin 2010.Cooperation with ILAC:Peter Unger, ILAC Vice-Chair, attendedthe IAAC General Assembly meetingsheld in San Jose, Costa Rica, in September2009.At the request of ILAC, IAAC provideda regional evaluator for the evaluation ofAPLAC.Cooperation with PAC:IAAC and PAC representatives held ameeting in Vancouver, Canada, in October2009, during the IAF/ILAC meetings,and agreed to carry out joint actions andactivities aimed at strengthening tiesbetween the Regions and their members.IAAC and PAC shared files regarding MLAactivities, procedures and documents.Anneke Olvera of SCC represented PAC atthe IAAC General Assembly meetings heldin San Jose, Costa Rica, in September 2009.Cooperation with APLAC:Laboratories from eight APLAC membersare participating in the IAAC regionalproficiency testing program on “Fatty Oils”which began in 2008 and is organised byINTI and OAA of Argentina.Laboratories from five APLAC membersare participating in the IAAC regionalproficiency testing program on “WineAnalysis” organised DTA-IBMETRO ofBolivia in 2009.APLAC has invited IAAC membersto participate in its proficiency testingprograms during 2009.In 2009, APLAC and IAAC carried outthe joint peer evaluations of AIHA LAP,USA; NVLAP, USA; and ema, Mexico.APLAC and IAAC held a joint evaluatortraining course in Maryland, USA, inMarch 2009. Thirteen IAAC evaluatorsattended this course and are now qualifiedas trainee evaluators and may participate inIAAC evaluations.Cooperation with EA:Graham Talbot, EA Chair, attendedthe IAAC General Assembly meetings inSan Jose, Costa Rica, in September 2009,and delivered a presentation on the EUAccreditation system. In May 2009, lleanaMartinez of NIST, USA, represented IAACat the EA General Assembly.In 2008, EA, IAF and IAAC carried outthe joint peer evaluation of Cgcre/Inmetro,Brazil.Cooperation with SADCA:Laboratories from two SADCA membersare participating in the IAAC regionalproficiency testing program on “Fatty Oils”organised by INTI and OAA of Argentina.Technical Cooperation Projects:14 Issue 37 | April 2010

2009-2010 Organisation of AmericanStates (OAS) ProjectIAAC is currently implementing atechnical cooperation project with theOAS for accreditation bodies in developingcountries within the Americas region.The project includes the followingactivities:• Witnessing of IAAC peer evaluations• 2 peer evaluations of ABs• Training for 3 peer evaluators• 3 technical training courses• 1 e-course or webinar• 3 consultancies to a developing AB• 3 internships for staff of developing ABs• 1 regional seminar on accreditation• 2 national seminar programs onaccreditation• 2 proficiency testing programs.2009-2010 PhysikalischTechnische Bundesanstalt(PTB) ProjectIAAC currently has a technicalcooperation project with PTB of Germany.The project activities for 2009-2010include:• Workshops on Good Practicesin Accreditation of Food Safety,Development of a Business Plan forAccreditation Bodies, Analysis ofProficiency Testing results, etc.• Internships for accreditation bodiesthat are developing the inspection bodyscheme in accreditation bodies thathave developed and established thescheme.• Training for peer evaluator trainees.• Support to carry out the internationalevaluations of IAAC and witnessing ofIAAC evaluations.Improvement of IAACdocuments and proceduresThe General Assembly recentlyapproved changes to the followingdocuments in order to improve IAACprocesses: AD 001 IAAC MOU Text,AD 009 IAAC MLA Text, PR 005Procedure for handling complaints andappeals, PR 007 Procedure for IAACAdoption of International Documents andPR 011 Procedure for Internal Audits.The General Assembly also approvedrevisions to the following IAACdocuments: AD 001 IAAC MOU Text,AD 009 IAAC MLA Text, PR 005Procedure for handling complaints andappeals, PR 007 Procedure for IAACAdoption of International Documents, PR011 Procedure for Internal Audits and apolicy regarding the disclosure of IAACpeer evaluation reports.In addition, for immediateimplementation a policy regardingdisclosure of IAAC peer evaluationreports was approved, and will beincluded in the next revision of PR002Policies And Procedures for a Multi-Lateral Recognition Arrangement amongAccreditation Bodies. IAAC will informILAC of this decision, in accordance withILAC P-12.IAAC meetings• The IAAC 33rd Executive Committee,MLA Committee and LaboratoriesSubcommittee meetings will be heldin Montevideo, Uruguay, on 22-24March 2010.• The 15th General Assembly meetingswill be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,from 20-27 August 2009.IAAC Information andPublicationsInformation on members and IAACdocuments is available at the IAACwebsite: www.iaac.org.mx.SuccessStoriesfrom ILACSignatoriesJust a reminder thatthe ILAC MCC isalways interestedin receiving ‘goodnews’ storiesthat demonstratethe benefits ofaccreditation and theILAC Arrangement.A collection ofgood news storiesis available on theILAC website for youto use to promotethe benefits ofaccreditation.If you have anyrecent good newsstories to share,please do nothesitate to email theSecretariat onilac@nata.com.auwho will arrange forthem to be addedto the good newsstories page on theILAC website.ILAC News 15

ILAC/IAF VANCOUVER

MEETINGS

ILAC News| Accreditation UpdateAccreditation UpdateITALY unifies accreditation systemThe long-awaited sanctioning ofACCREDIA as Italy’s sole officialaccreditation body has passed into law.Two ministerial decrees have been signedto seal ACCREDIA’s appointment, allowingItaly to meet the deadline set underRegulation (EC) 765/08.ACCREDIA was created on 15 July 2009,by the merger of SINAL and SINCERT,as a non-profit-distributing association, tobecome the sole National Accreditation Bodyrecognised by the Italian state.The mission, indeed, was the fullcompliance of the national accreditationsystem with the regulation of the EuropeanParliament and Commission n° 765,dated 9 July 2008 and applicable from 1January 2010, for accreditation and marketcompliance in all EU countries.The process is therefore complete: it wasinitiated in 2002 when a memorandum ofunderstanding was signed by all interestedcategories. The Minister of EconomicalDevelopment defined the sole accreditationbody as a point of qualification for Italianpolitics in favour of quality.The choice of ACCREDIA is also approvedof and supported by other Ministries whichare already members of the body, businessArticle 69 of the French Hospitals,Patients, Health and Territories Act, passedin summer 2009 (law dated 21 July 200918 Issue 37 | April 2010ACCREDIA offices in Rome.organisations, normative bodies, operatorsof the conformity assessment system, allother ACCREDIA members, consumers andconsultants.The credibility created by SINAL andSINCERT over time – both nationally andinternationally – is a legacy which mustnot be wasted. It represents the foundationupon which a wider body can be built and inwhich other competencies which have createdthe history of Italian accreditation can playa role.Collaboration and mutual supportbetween the public and private sectorswill increasingly be the modus operandi ofACCREDIA President – Federico GrazioliACCREDIA. Transparency, independenceand impartiality will be confirmed andstrengthened. As it has been in the past,Italy’s commitment to an internationalrole will be sustained, for the benefit ofenterprises and all interested operators.Within the context of the EUregulations, ACCREDIA can act as thefinal link in guaranteeing the processof conformity assessment, in boththe voluntary and mandatory sectors.ACCREDIA can combine operationalefficiency with the guarantee of respect forassociated competencies, so that the qualityof the Italian economic system is assured,recognised, and given the value it merits.Health at the heart of accreditationpublished in the Official Journal on 22 July2009), renders mandatory and total (for allexamination activities) the accreditationof medical biology laboratories (MBL)in order to “provide guarantees on thequality of medical biology examinations, inparticular by setting up a procedure for theaccreditation of laboratories”.It is for this purpose that the HealthcareSection was created at Cofrac in October2009, dedicated essentially, at least initially,to the accreditation of MBLs based on theISO 15189 standard.As of 1st January 2010, this new Section isempowered to receive accreditation requests,still on a voluntary basis as before, for allor part of the activity of MBLs. The firstmandatory accreditations will come during

ILAC News| Accreditation Updatethe course of 2010. All medical biologylaboratories will have to be accredited by the1 November 2016 to be permitted to operate.Daniel Pierre, General Director of Cofracadvised “Accreditation leads to betterinternal organisation of laboratories andthe formalisation of the procedures used, incompliance with the ISO 15189 standard.”Though he considers that, for the timebeing, patients continue to “be underinformedon this subject” and notes a certainheterogeneity in the quality of French biology“particularly regarding the pre-analysisphase”, Daniel Pierre insists on a necessaryincrease in workload caused by a growingdemand “as regular as possible, to be able tooptimise its management”.The structures particularly concerned are:• Medical biology laboratories as defined inthe Public Health Code;• All other structures performingexaminations on persons or substancesof human origin, which aim to provideuseful information for the diagnosis,prevention or treatment of illnesses or toassess the state of health of human beings(biological qualification platforms fordonations, structures that perform actsof pathological anatomy and cytology,structures that perform biologicalactivities to provide medical assistancewith procreation, etc.);• Forensic biology laboratories.The Section has undertaken to compile itsown documentary corpus. This activity willbe done essentially in accordance with thestandard ISO 15189, complemented whereapplicable by the standard ISO/IEC 22870.The Section Committee, set up for theHealthcare Section at the end of 2009, metfor the first time on 18 November 2009.It has already started to revise availabledocuments in order to adapt them to thespecificities of human health and anyamendments to regulations. The Committeehas also begun to create specific documentsto facilitate the implementation of theaccreditation process by medical biologylaboratories.Laurent Roullot, Communication ManagerCALA Honoured to Host ILAC/IAF 2009Not only can a great deal be learned,but a good degree of satisfaction can befelt, when one looks back into the wake ofwhere they have just been. Assessing theoutcomes achieved when an organisation isgiven the opportunity to host a prestigiousinternational event is both advisable andnecessary if the next organisation to host theevent is to avoid any pitfalls experienced andcontinue to make such events even better inthe future.For 10 days in October 2009 (10-20October 2009), the Canadian Associationfor Laboratory Accreditation Inc. (CALA)was given the privilege of hosting ILAC/IAF2009 in Vancouver, Canada. In reality, CALAstarted its work as host at least eighteenmonths before the actual event. A dedicatedcommittee comprised of both volunteersand staff met on average once per month toaddress an extensive list of details in order toDaniel Pierre, ILAC President (left), Charles Brimley, CALA CEO (Centre) and Thomas Facklam, IAFPresident (Right) at the “Welcome Reception” to ILAC/IAF 2009.Caricature artist was a hit with delegates during an evening reception at the Vancouver Club.Continued next pageILAC News19

ILAC News| Accreditation Updatefrom previoust pageensure a successful event.ILAC/IAF 2009 brought together closeto 350 of the world’s most knowledgeablepeople from more than 65 countries, onthe subject of accreditation of conformityassessment bodies. Based on the positive andsupportive feedback we received from manyof the delegates, we have concluded that theconference was a tremendous success andwe are truly pleased that the internationalcommunity was so supportive of ourinitiatives as the event host.To say that this event surpassed allof our expectations is somewhat of anunderstatement, since we had some veryserious initial concerns based on the severedownturn in the global economy, coupledwith the H1N1 Influenza pandemic. Earlyregistrations were in a word “dismal”but in the end, we exceeded our goal forparticipation.The success of this event would not havebeen possible without the expertise andcommitment of the secretariats of bothILAC and IAF. Regular input and feedbackfrom secretariat personnel at both ILAC andIAF was instrumental in precisely meeting/exceeding the needs of all the participantsat the event. We thank them for theirprofessionalism and counsel. Our success wasin great part due to their diligence and theirencouragement throughout.As you already know, we are very proud toCommittee meetings were very well attended throughout the event.“Mostly Marley” band entertained delegates after the “Gala” dinner event.Magician entertains delegates during dinnercruise on Vancouver Harbour.have hosted such a successful internationalevent while at the same time taking activesteps to eliminate the carbon footprint ofall delegates travelling to the Vancouverevent. Former CALA CEO Rick Wilsonspearheaded a tree-planting initiative thatsaw a total of 310 trees of nine major speciesplus a variety of ornamentals planted thatwill as they grow, totally offset this carbonfootprint from the event.In closing let me, on behalf of CALA offerour ongoing counsel to the new committeeplanning the ILAC/IAF 2010 event inShanghai. We are at their service to hopefullyanswer any questions they may have as theyplan out what we know will be anothersuccessful event.Thank you once again for the opportunityto host you all here in Canada.C Charles BrimleyCALA Chief Executive Officer20 Issue 37 | April 2010

ILAC News| Accreditation UpdateArgentine Accreditation Body:Winner of the National Quality AwardThe Argentine Accreditation Body (OAA)is a pioneer, being the first accreditationbody in the world that has won theNational Quality Award.The purpose of the route towardsexcellence, that OAA has decided topursue within the quality culture, is thecontinuous improvement of the servicesit provides, both locally and abroad. Forthis purpose it has adopted the NationalQuality Award Model in addition to theinternational requirements through whichit has obtained worldwide recognition.In the course of this route of successes,OAA was granted the Special Mention forExcellence in Integral Management and theNational Quality Award in the non-profitorganisation category granted by the NationalQuality Award Foundation in 2009.The National Quality Award was createdin 1992 with the aim of “promotingprocesses and systems for the continuousimprovement of quality in order to supportthe upgrading and competitiveness oforganisations”.The Award was presented by the NationsPresident, Dr Cristina Fernández, on21 October 2009, at the Bicentenary’sArgentinean Women Hall of the CasaRosada. She was accompanied by theMinister of Industry and Tourism, MsDébora Giorgi; the Minister of Economyand Public Finances, Mr Amado Boudou;the Minister of Safety, Justice and HumanRights, Dr Julio César Alak; the Ministerof Health, Dr Juan Luis Manzur; theMinister of Science, Technology andProductive Innovation, Dr Lino Barañao;the Secretary of Public Management, DrJuan Manuel Abal Medina; and the head ofthe National Quality Award Foundation,Mr Norberto Taranto.OAA staff receiving the National Quality Award.Why the quality award?When OAA established its Vision, itstrategically decided to follow the routetowards excellence using these tools inorder to:• promote the development andcommunication of its processes andsystems aimed at the continuousimprovement of quality in the servicesit provides• encourage and support the upgradingand competitiveness of organisationsand ensure that the needs andexpectations of the community aresatisfied• preserve the human work environment,the optimum assignment of tasks anduse of resources.The design of OAA’s Quality System hasincorporated the National Quality AwardModel to the requirements given in ISO/IEC 17011 used for its peer evaluation, inorder to:•fix goals and deal with improvement plans•detect the areas in which the opportunitiesfor improvement are more significant• obtain an evaluation of its integralmanagement system.Description of the model forthe non-profit organisationsThe evaluation model defined by theModel for a Management of Excellence innon-profit Organisations (ONG) is dividedinto three components which in turn aresubdivided into several criteria each.Component LeadershipThe component Leadership proposes thatleadership must be exercised by Directorswho apply a strategic management, witha clear vocation and firm commitmentto constantly improve the results, bycontinually improving the managementsystem, and who promote and apply thevalues of excellence assuming their socialresponsibility and contributing to thecontinuous improvement of their physical,social and economic environment.Component ManagementSystemThe component Management Systemproposes that an organisation of excellencehas to develop action plans that facilitatethe fulfillment of the strategic planningfocused on the recipients and thecommunity and that it has to manageprocesses and humancontinued next pageILAC News 21

ILAC News| Accreditation Updatefrom previous pageresources in order to achieve the objectivesestablished by its Management Team,within the framework of its vision, missionand values.Criterion Strategic Planning: Theorganisation must have an effective planningsystem focused on establishing the specificactivities needed for the achievement ofthe objectives and the development of aconsistent strategy with the adopted model.Criterion Focus on the community andrecipients: An organisation of excellencemust have mechanisms implementedthat facilitate their understanding ofthe requirements and expectations ofits present and potential recipients. Therelationships with them must ensurethat they are adequately assisted and thatthe commitments assumed are fulfilled.Mechanisms must be in place to determinethe satisfaction and loyalty of the recipients.A system for handling complaints andclaims that ensures that these are adequatelysolved, giving rise to actions that avoid theirrecurrence, is necessary.Criterion Process Management: In thiscriterion it is established how key processes,such as design, supported, production,services and relationships with providers,should be carried out.Criterion Human Resources Management:An organisation of excellence mustdistinguish itself with respect to themanagement of its human resources. Theplanning and conduct of human resourcesmust be aligned with the general planningand strategies of the organisation. Itspersonnel must be trained in order to carryout their tasks, be fully familiarised withthe continuous improvement process andsatisfied with their working environment.Criterion Resources Management: Thiscriterion reviews how the organisationoptimises the use of its resources by usingthem effectively and so that they contributeto provide better results for its interestedparties.The adequate implementation andmanagement of the before-mentionedcomponents must be reflected in the thirdcomponent Results. The fields consideredfor the measurement are: satisfaction andloyalty of the recipients, repercussionin the community, economic-financialresults, operative results, human resourcesmanagement results, results related toproviders and actions related to the socialtranscendence.New Activities for OAAMonitoring of Good LaboratoryPractice (OECD)OAA has been appointed the MonitoringAuthority of Good Laboratory Practice bythe Argentinean Regulatory Authorities,according to OECD requirements. Thus,OAA started the activity of inspection inAugust 2009.The first inspection was observed by DrFrancisca Liem, Chief of the LaboratoryData Integrity Branch of the Office ofEnforcement and Compliance Assurancefrom the Environmental Protection Agencyof the United States - who congratulatedOAA and declared that it was a “historical”moment for Argentina.The test facility evaluated obtainedthe statement of compliance with theprinciples of Good Laboratory Practice fornon-clinical studies on agrochemicals.Accreditation Week 2009 in CyprusOrganised by the Cyprus Accreditation Body (16-20 November 2009)The Cyprus Accreditation Body (CYS-CYSAB) celebrated Accreditation Week2009 from 16 - 20 November. The goal ofthe Week was to underline the importanceof accreditation in the economic andsocial life of Cyprus and to inform allinterested parties of recent and foreseeabledevelopments, problems and perspectives.Once again the Cyprus Accreditation Bodystressed its decisive role in the support ofthe effective and reliable operation of thequality infrastructure in Cyprus. ParticularRepresentatives of conformity assessment bodies who were presented with accreditationcertificates during the opening ceremony of Accreditation Week 2009, with the Chair andMembers of the Board of Governors of CYS-CYSAB and other officials.22 Issue 37 | April 2010

ILAC News| Accreditation UpdateDAC becomes ILAC MRA signatoryMs Amina Ahmed Mohammed and Mr Daniel Pierre signing the ILAC MRA.Dubai Accreditation Department (DAC)of Dubai Municipality (DM) has becomean ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement(MRA) signatory in the field of calibration andtesting including medical laboratories.The ILAC MRA signing ceremony was heldon 18 October 2009 in Vancouver, Canadaduring the ILAC/IAF General Assembly.Ms Amina Ahmed Mohammed, Directorof DAC and Mr Daniel Pierre, Chairman ofILAC signed the MRA.It is worth noting that the DAC is the onlyaccreditation body in the gulf region who isan ILAC MRA signatory and full member ofILAC.Engineer Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipalitypresenting the appreciation certificate to the Director of DAC in thepresence of senior staff members of DAC.DAC received appreciationfrom Dubai GovernmentDubai Accreditation Department(DAC) received special appreciation forits achievement of ILAC MRA signatorystatus. In a special ceremony held in theCity Hall, His Excellency the DirectorGeneral of Dubai Municipality EngineerHussain Nasser Lootah presented theappreciation certificate to Ms AminaAhmed, Director of Dubai AccreditationDepartment. Engineer Lootah on thisoccasion praised the efforts of DAC staff.24Issue 37 | April 2010

ILAC News| Accreditation UpdateSpeakers at the medical conference held in Dubai.TheEgyptianAccreditationCouncil“EGAC”LaunchesMedicalLaboratoriesAccreditationProgramEGAC, a signatory to the ILAC MRA,and is extending its accreditationactivities to include medicallaboratories EGAC announced on the4 January 2010 that it is ready to startassessing and accrediting medicallaboratories to the requirementsof the International Standard ISO15189:2007.Delegates at the ISO 15189 internal audit training course.DAC conducted a trainingcourse on ISO 15189DAC organised a two day trainingcourse on internal auditing for ISO15189 on 2 and 3 November 2009.Dr Thuppil Venkatesh, Adviser ofQuality Council of India (QCI) was theresource person. Thirteen participantsfrom various governmental and privatemedical laboratories attended thetraining course.DAC sponsored medicalconference in DubaiDAC sponsored a medical conference onquality health care standards in Dubai.The conference was organised by the PrimeHealth Care Group, UAE. More than150 delegates attended the conference.Eng Muhammad Shahid Rasool ofDubai Accreditation Department gavea presentation on “ISO 15189-GlobalAcceptance of Competence”.The launching of the program wasannounced by Eng Hassan Shaarawi,the Executive Director of EGACduring the Fifth Conference for QualityAssurance held in the Faculty ofMedicine, University of Alexandria.The aim of the program is to enhancethe credibility of results from medicaltesting laboratories.The announcement came after EGACcompleted building its capacityto handle the medical laboratoryaccreditation activities and afterbecoming a full member of ILAC on 10October 2009.EGAC is also planning to expand itsaccreditation activities on the nationaland regional levels.ILAC News 25

ema’s National Strategy toStrengthen Accreditation andConformity AssessmentBy: Maria Jose Mesen, National & InternationalCoordinator, emaRegional and international recognitionare without doubt a key factor for anaccreditation body, and this is why theMexican Accreditation Body (entidadmexicana de acreditación - ema) has madeefforts to become a signatory to the differentMRAs and MLAs that the regional andinternational accreditation forums run andare of interest to Mexico.However, international recognitionmust walk hand-in-hand with nationalrecognition, and it is now ema´s goal toobtain this by a series of strategies thatwill allow us to have a greater impact onauthorities, clients, academic and interestedparties.Mexico has a territory of 1,964,375 km 2 ,made up of 31 States and a Federal District.Within such a large territory there are manydifferent cultures, climates and topographywhich deeply mark the different conformityassessment bodies that are developed inThe successof this campaignis such, that weexpect 7 moreStrategic RegionalGroups to beformed in 2010.a given State. And of course, there is alsoa difference in the knowledge clients andusers have of the Mexican Metrology,Standardization and Conformity AssessmentSystem in the different States.Considering the above, we are convincedthat even when there has been a significantincrease in the accredited infrastructure of ourcountry (about six times more then in 1995);it is necessary to increase the knowledge ofstandards and the need to assess them, andin doing so, support our activities. Given ourbroad territory, this need is especially strongeroutside our Capital, Mexico City.Therefore, ema has reinforced its nationalcampaign named “ema va a su casa” (ema goesto your home town), where we visit differentMexican States, and organise conferences onthe importance of complying with standardsand the benefits of being accredited and usingaccredited conformity assessment bodies.Apart from this, we have organised StrategicRegional Groups in 9 different States. Thesegroups are made up of different interestedparties, and they have proven to be a greatawareness tool to make society more consciousof topics such as metrology, standardisation,accreditation and conformity assessment. Manyseminars took place during 2009 that wereorganised by these groups, according to theneeds and interests of each State.It is important to point out, that ema’s rolein the groups is just as a coordinator. Thesuccess of this campaign is such, that weexpect 7 more Strategic Regional Groups to beformed in 2010.ema would like to share what we are doingwith the accreditation community, hoping thatthis tool could be useful for other countriesthat face the same issues as us.26 Issue 37 | April 2010

ILAC News| Committee NewsSADCAS and SANAS sign Twinningpartnership arrangementFrom left to right: Mrs Maureen P Mutasa – SADCAS CEO, Mr Riundja Kaakunga (Othy) – SADCAS Board of Directors Chairman, Mr Prags Govender– SANAS Board of Directors Chairman, and Mr Ron Josias – Acting CEO SANAS, during the signing ceremony.The Southern African DevelopmentCommunity Accreditation Service(SADCAS) and the South AfricanAccreditation System (SANAS) haveentered into a twinning partnership.The Twinning Partnership Arrangementwas signed at a ceremony held at SANASHeadquarters, Pretoria, South Africa onThursday 3 December 2009. The ceremonywas attended by SADCAS/SANAS Boardsof Directors’ Chairmen and the respectiveorganisations’ Chief Executive Officers,SANAS Senior Managers and ProgramManagers as well as a representative of theSouth African Department of Trade andIndustry.The purpose of the Twinning PartnershipArrangement is to help kick start SADCAS’accreditation services with the ultimategoal of ensuring that SADCAS becomes asignatory to the International LaboratoryAccreditation Cooperation (ILAC) MutualRecognition Arrangement (MRA) and theInternational Accreditation Forum (IAF)Multilateral Recognition Arrangement(MLA). In his welcome and introductoryremarks, Mr Prags Govender, the SANASBoard of Directors’ Chairman highlightedthe important role accreditation plays inregional integration and assured SADCAS ofSANAS’ commitment to ensuring SADCASsuccess for the benefit of the region.Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Riundja AliKaakunga (Othy), the SADCAS Board ofDirectors’ Chairman outlined the purpose ofthe Twinning Partnership Arrangement andhighlighted the areas of cooperation betweenSADCAS and SANAS. He also emphasisedthe need for SADCAS and SANAS to abideby the undertakings in the Arrangement inorder to make it a success and to safeguardboth organisations’ integrity and reputation.With the signing of the ArrangementSADCAS is now set to kick start itsaccreditation services.ILAC News 27

Re-regulation of Swedishvehicle inspectionSome of SWEDAC’s staff in front of World Trade Center in Stockholm. Photo: Hans AlmSWEDAC has been working with theSwedish Transport Agency to start thepreparations for the re-regulation of Swedishvehicle inspection. At the end of 2009, theSwedish Parliament decided to abolish thecurrent monopoly from the middle of 2010.It is hoped that an open system will lead tobetter service and greater availability.“One possible development is that theSwedish inspection stations will alsosupplement their activities with otherkinds of services, including different kindsof ‘condition inspections’ i.e. completeassessments of vehicles, when for examplethere is a change of owner,” says ÖrjanEllström, Project Manager at the SwedishTransport Agency.The Swedish Transport Agency will bethe regulatory authority for the re-regulatedmarket and will also be tasked with carryingout surveillance on the market to ensure thatactivities still retain a high level of quality.Inspection companies will need to beaccredited by SWEDAC according to ISO/IEC 17020, which includes assessing thebody’s technical competence, equipmentstandards and quality assurance, as well astheir independence.The Swedish Transport Agency andSWEDAC are currently holding discussionsas to what competence requirements shouldbe placed on inspection technicians.These authorities have expressed a wishto the Ministry of Enterprise, Energyand Communication for requirements forcertification of persons to be introduced aspart of accreditation.SWEDAC celebrates 20thanniversaryThe accreditation system is becoming evenmore important for international trade – not28 Issue 37 | April 2010

ILAC News| Accreditation UpdateHong Kong to Promote theDevelopment of the Testing andCertification IndustryThe Hong Kong Council for Testing andCertification was set up in September 2009 tospearhead the development of the industry inHong Kong.The testing and certification industry inHong Kong has been enjoying a steadygrowth. Locally, the testing and certificationindustry plays an important role in the dailylife of the Hong Kong community. Forexample, the medical testing laboratoriesprovide essential support to the medicalsector in diagnosis of illness. Withheightened public awareness and concernover safety and nutritional content of food,private laboratories have also been playingan increasing role in supporting the foodindustry on quality assurance.In support to trading, the industry providesa high volume of testing and inspectionservices for consumer products manufacturedin Hong Kong and the Pearl River DeltaRegion of the Mainland of China, in particularfor toys, electrical and electronic goods,textiles, garments and footwear. The industryalso provides certification services for therelevant management systems (eg ISO 9001on quality management system). Throughproviding assurance to overseas buyers onthe quality and safety of the products, bothproduced in Hong Kong and the Mainlandof China, the industry has played a part in thedevelopment of trading and logistics servicesin Hong Kong as well as the industrialisationof the Pearl River Delta Region.The local testing and certification industryhas already established a good reputation inthe region in terms of its professionalism,integrity and knowledge of the internationalmarket. Coupled with its proximity to theMainland of China, which has a rapidlygrowing market and is a major manufacturingbase in the world, Hong Kong has thepotential to develop into a major testingand certification centre in the region. Manymajor international testing and certificationThe Hong Kong Council for Testing and Certification held a consultation forum in November 2009 tocollect views from the testing and certification industry and other major stakeholders.companies have already set up branches inHong Kong.The government has been providingsupport to the testing and certificationindustry, including operating the Hong KongAccreditation Service (a member of ILAC).The establishment of the Hong Kong Councilfor Testing and Certification in September2009, is a further step in promoting thedevelopment of the industry and demonstratesthe staunch support from the government forthe sustained growth of this sector in HongKong.The Council is chaired by Professor CHINGPak-chung, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of theChinese University of Hong Kong, withmembers from the testing and certificationindustry, business sector, professional bodies aswell as relevant public bodies and governmentdepartments. The Council is currentlyworking with the testing and certificationindustry to formulate a three-year marketdrivendevelopment plan for the industry.For those interested in the work of HongKong Council for Testing and Certification,you are welcomed to visit the Council’swebsite at http://www.hkctc.gov.hk.ILAC News 31

ILAC News| Accreditation UpdateMAURITAS Accredits The PlantPathology Laboratory of AREUThe Mauritius Accreditation Service(MAURITAS), which operates under theaegis of the Ministry of Industry, Science andResearch, has accredited the Plant PathologyLaboratory of the Agricultural Research andExtension Unit (AREU) to the internationalstandard MS ISO/IEC 17025:2005.The laboratory successfully went throughthe various steps of the accreditation process,namely, the document review, pre-assessmentand initial assessment, with MAURITASand its twinning partner, the South AfricanNational Accreditation Service (SANAS).The Accreditation Certificate AwardCeremony for the Plant Pathology Laboratorywas held on 5 November 2009 at the FarmersTraining School in Wooton, Mauritius. Theceremony was honoured by the HonourableDharambeer Gokhool, Minister of Industry,Science and Research and the HonourableSatya Veyash Faugoo, Minister of AgroIndustry, Food Protection and Security.“The ceremony being organised today marksan important milestone and a significantachievement of the Plant PathologyLaboratory of AREU with respect to thequality of its testing” claimed the HonourableDharambeer Gokhool. “It represents one ofthe most critical steps towards moving forexcellence in laboratory testing services in theagro industry sector at national, regional andinternational level.”The Plant Pathology Laboratory forms partof the Plant Pathology Division of AREU andprovides diagnostic services to the plantingcommunity of Mauritius and Rodrigues.The scope of accreditation for the laboratoryincludes detection of plant pathogenic virusesand bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum.MAURITAS provides a national unifiedThe staff of the Plant Pathology Laboratory during the Accreditation Certificate Award Ceremony.service for the accreditation of ConformityAssessment Bodies (CABs) such asCalibration and Testing Laboratories,Inspection Bodies and Certification bodies.One of the main objectives of MAURITAS isto provide formal recognition of the technicalcompetence of CABs to operate in accordanceto international standards.MAURITAS has already accredited eightlaboratories to the international standard MSISO/IEC 17025:2005 and one certificationbody to MS ISO/IEC 17021:2006 sinceFebruary 2008. MAURITAS has alreadyembarked on developing an accreditationprogramme for all inspection bodies againstISO/IEC 17020:1998.The Minister of Industry, Science andResearch seized this opportunity tocongratulate MAURITAS for its committedwork in the field of accreditation.MAURITAS PARTICIPATES INTHE 1ST SADC SET WEEKThe Government of Mauritius organisedthe first Southern African DevelopmentCommunity (SADC) Science, Engineeringand Technology (SET) Week from the 22 to25 October 2009 at the Swami VivekanandaInternational Convention Centre, LesPailles, Mauritius. The theme of this eventwas: ‘Harnessing Science, Engineering andTechnology for socio-economic development’.The Mauritius Accreditation Service(MAURITAS) participated in one of theactivities organised to mark the first SADCSET Week, namely, ‘A regional Exhibition onScientific and Technological development inthe region’.This was a unique opportunity forMAURITAS to sensitise the Mauritianpopulation to the importance of accreditationand its contribution to the daily life of allMauritian. MAURITAS, therefore, designeda brochure, depicting the various activities ofMAURITAS and the accreditation process inMauritius. A flyer enumerating the variousadvantages of accreditation was also developed32Issue 37 | April 2010

ILAC News| Accreditation Updateusing information from the InternationalLaboratory Accreditation Cooperation(ILAC) website. Furthermore, MAURITASdesigned several posters and presentationsthat were displayed during the SADC SETweek.The MAURITAS booth attracted a largenumber of visitors who were mostly unawareof the activities of MAURITAS and knewlittle about accreditation.However, after discussions with the staff ofMAURITAS, all the visitors were convincedof the importance of accreditation and of themajor role being played by MAURITAS inorder to increase confidence in Mauritiangoods and services both at a national andinternational level. The brochure andflyer of MAURITAS, as well as those ofthe Southern African DevelopmentCommunity Accreditation Service(SADCAS) were distributed to visitorsof the MAURITAS booth.In fact, visitors to the MAURITAS boothThe MAURITAS booth receiving visitors during the 1st SADC SET week.were unanimous that all laboratories inMauritius should work towards accreditation.MAURITAS has viewed its participationin the first SADC SET week as being veryfruitful, as it has provided an opportunity tobring to light its activities and the importanceof accreditation to the Mauritian public.MAURITAS is therefore aiming to sensitisea larger fraction of the population throughthe celebration of World Accreditation Dayin June 2010 and by also participating in theNational SET week in 2010.News from TAFForum on “Use of TAF Accreditation byRegulatory Authorities”By Wanji YangTAF held a forum on 29 December2009 and invited representatives fromeight regulatory authorities to share theirexperiences in using TAF accreditation andthe benefits they have gained. As the Chair,Dr Jay-San Chen, Director General of BSMIand President of TAF, briefly introducedTAF accreditation status and took twoaccreditation cooperation programs betweenBSMI and TAF as examples to demonstratethe benefits of using TAF accreditation.Mr Kun-Huang Chen, Chief-Secretaryof the Children Welfare Bureau Ministryof Interior (CBI), mentioned that TAF hadPresenters at the TAF forum for regulators.helped to established two national standards.TAF accreditation is now required forinspection bodies performing playgroundinspection.Mr Yu-Ting Lai, Deputy Director fromthe Public Construction Commission (PCC),shared PCC’s strategies and different steps ofblending TAF accreditation into constructionrelated regulations. Better managementof civil engineering testing laboratorieshas helped to reduce risks and build betterconfidence in public construction work.Mr Sen Chen, Deputy Director of Councilof Labor Affairs (CLA), introduced thecontinued next pageILAC News33

ILAC News| Accreditation Updatefrom previous pagework that TAF has been involved in the“Workplace Environmental MonitoringSystem”. CLA and TAF are now workingon more cooperation on the accreditationof Taiwan Occupational Safety andHealth Management System (TOSHMS)certification.Mr Wen-Chin Wang, Senior Specialistof the Council of Agriculture (COA), saidTAF has been designated for accreditationof “Agriculture Product ResumeTraceability” certification bodies. This hasenhanced consumers’ confidence in over130 kinds of agriculture products.Mr Chien-Chung Liu, Senior Specialistof the Environmental ProtectionAdministration (EPA), explained therole that TAF accredited laboratories andproduct certification bodies play in the“Green Mark” system.Ms Sylvia Lin, Director of TAFLaboratory Accreditation Department,reported on behalf of the Bureau of Foodand Drug Analysis (BFDA) regardingthe joint assessment mechanism foraccrediting testing laboratories for drugsand cosmetics. A database of the accreditedlaboratories has also been established and isopen to the public.TAF has been trying to build moreconnections with end users, so it invitedMr Cheng-Hsuel Wu, Section Chief ofthe Consumer Protection Commission(CPC), to speak from the viewpoint ofconsumer protection. Mr Wu mentionedthat TAF accreditation has been used asstrong support in making judgements onconsumer protection issues. CPC looksforward to seeing more accreditationrelated promotional activities for publiceducation.TAF appreciates the support it receivesfrom various regulatory authorities. Thediscussions in the forum were recordedand later reported by journalists in thenewspaper. This kind of activity alsoprovides a good channel for regulatoryauthorities to learn from each other. TAFwill continue carrying out promotionalactivities for customers, regulatoryauthorities and end users, and continuemoving towards the goal of “GlobalAcceptance”.StakeholdersEUROLAB workshop onAccreditation with flexible scopeEUROLAB organises twice a year, its GeneralAssembly meeting in different places withinthe European member states. It also used tobe the occasion, to organise a joint workshopopen to both the laboratory and stakeholdercommunities.On 3 November 2009 the EUROLAB Boardand General Assembly meetings were heldin Prague, Czech Republic, at the Technicaland Test Institute for Construction (TZUS).The day after, on 4 November a workshopwas organised by the Technical Committeefor Quality Assurance of EUROLAB. It wasdedicated to the accreditation with flexiblescope as the follow up of the workshoporganised three years ago in Boras (Sweden).Over 50 participants representing 18European countries, from numerousconformity assessment bodies, variousindustries and eight accreditation bodiesattended the workshop.The rationale of the workshop was toexchange experience so far, to benchmark andpromote good practices and finally to giveinput to EA, in order:• to have a common and better understandingof flexible scope;• to promote and further develop it for therespective benefits of laboratory, client andaccreditation communities.The key issues of flexible scope were presentedby different speakers:• On the accreditation side, two veryinteresting presentations (from MartinaBednářová - CAI and Hanspeter Ischi -SAS) presented the developments and goodpractices at the EA level;• At the EUROLAB level, Manfred Golze -BAM presented the results of a EUROLABinquiry. The concept of flexible scopeaccreditation looks promising but there isvery limited information available on how itreally works;• Practical experiences of the laboratories werepresented in EMC testing by Urs von Känel- Albis Technologies Ltd (in combinationwith the presentation of Hanspeter Ischi -SAS), in calibration by Pascal Launey - LNEand in physical, chemical or microbiologicaltests by Katarzyna Rajczakowska - CBJPolish laboratory;• Two presentations focused on the issueof notified bodies and put them intoperspective with the new EuropeanRegulation 765/2008/EC - requirementsfor accreditation and market surveillancerelating to the marketing of products;• A fruitful debate on the conclusions to bedrawn up was introduced by a presentationmade by Magnus Holmgrem – SP on thegap analysis between the current situationand future needs.The outcomes of this workshop werepresented to the national accreditation bodiesat the EA General Assembly held in Bruges,Belgium on 25–26 November 2009. Theyhave been uploaded onto the EUROLABwebsite, together with the workshopproceedings. They could be summed up asfollows:• Since the EUROLAB Workshop in Boråsthere has been considerable progressconcerning the implementation of theconcept of laboratory accreditation withflexible scope;• Most of the accreditation bodies grantaccreditation with flexible scope to all typesof laboratories for all technical fields;• Harmonisation of the definition andaccreditation practices across Europe seemsto be making good progress, but still needsto be improved: all EA members shouldapply the same definitions and rules in orderto avoid market distortion;• Most of the assessors are familiar withthe concept of flexible scope but there isstill a need for a better understanding andpromotion of the concept leading to flexiblescope accreditation to customers acrossEurope and worldwide;•Flexible scope accreditation is focusingon the competence but there is still strongemphasis on documentation duringassessments;• Develop, together with stakeholders,sectorial guidance documents (e.g. medicaland environmental sectors) to facilitateharmonisation and spread good practices foraccreditation with flexible scope;• EUROLAB, in agreement with industryand authorities, should be in a position toset recommendations and rules for flexiblescope accreditation which shall be observedby accreditation bodies.Jean-Marc Aublant – December 15, 200934Issue 37 | April 2010

ILAC PublicationsThe following is a listing of titles of all ILAC documents. These can be downloaded from the ‘ILAC Documents’ section under‘Publications and Resources’ on the ILAC website.Brochures• The ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement• Signatories to the ILAC Arrangement• Why Use An Accredited Laboratory?• Why Become An Accredited Laboratory?• How Does Using an Accredited Laboratory BenefitGovernment & Regulators?ILAC News| ILAC Publications• The Advantages of Being An Accredited Laboratory• Laboratory Accreditation or ISO 9001 Certification• Benefits for Laboratories Participating in ProficiencyTesting Programs• The route to signing the IAF/ILAC ArrangementGuidance Documents (G Series)• ILAC-G3:1994 Guidelines for Training Courses for Assessors• ILAC-G7:06/2009 Accreditation Requirements and Operating Criteria forHorseracing Laboratories• ILAC-G8:03/2009 Guidelines on the Reporting of Compliance withSpecification• ILAC-G9:2005 Guidelines for the Selection and Use of Reference Materials• ILAC-G10:1996 Harmonised Procedures for Surveillance & Reassessment ofAccredited Laboratories• ILAC-G11:07/2006 Guidelines on Assessor Qualification and Competence ofAssessors and Technical Experts• ILAC-G12:2000 Guidelines for the Requirements for the Competence ofReference Material Producers• ILAC-G13:08/2007 Guidelines for the Requirements for the Competence ofProviders of Proficiency Testing Schemes• ILAC-G17:2002 Introducing the Concept of Uncertainty of Measurement inTesting in Association with the Application of the Standard ISO/IEC 17025• ILAC-G18:2002 The Scope of Accreditation and Consideration of Methodsand Criteria for the Assessment of the Scope in Testing• ILAC-G19:2002 Guidelines for Forensic Science Laboratories• ILAC-G20:2002 Guidelines on Grading of Non-Conformities• ILAC-G21:2002 Cross Frontier Accreditation — Principles for AvoidingDuplication• ILAC-G22:2004 Use of Proficiency Testing as a Tool for Accreditation inTesting• ILAC-G23:2004 Withdrawn• ILAC-G24:2007 Guidelines for the determination of calibration intervals ofmeasuring instrumentsProcedural Documents (P Series)• ILAC-P1:07/2007 ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (Arrangement):Requirements for Evaluation of Accreditation Bodies by ILAC-recognisedRegional Cooperations• ILAC-P2:2003 ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (Arrangement):Procedures for the Evaluation of Regional Cooperation Bodies for the Purposeof Recognition• ILAC-P4:2003 ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (Arrangement): PolicyStatement• ILAC-P5:04/2007 ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (Arrangement)• ILAC-P6:2003 Application for Full Member Status• ILAC-P8:07/2006 ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement(Arrangement):Supplementary Requirements and Guidelines for the Use ofAccreditation Symbols and for Claims of Accreditation Status by AccreditedLaboratories• ILAC-P9:2005 ILAC Policy for Participation in National and InternationalProficiency Testing Activities• ILAC-P10:2002 ILAC Policy on Traceability of Measurement Results• ILAC-P11:09/2009 Monitoring Performance of ILAC Evaluators• ILAC P12:04/2009 Harmonisation of ILAC Work with the RegionsRules Documents (R Series)• ILAC-R1:09/2009 Classification and Publication of ILAC Documents• ILAC-R2:09/2009 ILAC Rules• ILAC-R3:09/2009 ILAC Strategic Plan• ILAC-R4:03/2010 Use of the ILAC Logo and Tagline• ILAC-R5:09/2009 ILAC Procedure for Handling Complaints• ILAC-R6:09/2009 Procedure for Expansion of the Scope of the ILACMutual Recognition Arrangement• ILAC-R7:09/2009 Rules for the Use of the ILAC MRA MarkJoint ILAC/IAF Documents (A series)• IAF/ILAC A1:05/2007 IAF/ILAC MRAs: Requirements for Evaluation ofa Regional Group• IAF/ILAC A2:05/2007 IAF/ILAC MRAs: Requirements for Evaluationof a Single Accreditation Body• IAF/ILAC A3:05/2007 IAF/ILAC MRAs: Key Performance Indicators -A Tool for the Evaluation Process• IAF/ILAC A4:2004 Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC 17020• IAF/ILAC A5:04/2009 IAF/ILAC MRAs: Application of ISO/IEC 17011:2004• ILAC-P3:07/2007 ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (Arrangement):Procedures for the Evaluation of Unaffiliated Bodies for the Purpose ofRecognitionILAC News35

Welcome to Shanghai,China20 – 29October 20102010 IAF/ILACJoint AnnualMeetingsChina National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS), is delighted to be hosting the IAF/ILAC 2010 Joint Annual Meetings in Shanghai, China, October 20-29, 2010.The meetings will be held at HYATT ON THE BUND, Shanghai. The venue is a five-star luxury hotel, uniquelylocated on the banks of the Huang Pu River at the northern end of the Bund in Shanghai, China. This centralShanghai hotel offers spectacular views of the Bund and Pudong, with convenient access to Shanghai’sairports, major areas of the city and the World Expo area.During the meeting period, we hope that you will enjoy the social program such as the welcome reception,the cocktail dinner, and the Gala dinner with the signing ceremony.Mark the days now: October 20-29, 2010! For registration, please visit the official website www.iafilac2010.cn.Email: iafilac2010@cnas.org.cn