Policy on Sector Schemes / Page 1 of 7
IAF Approved Document
Policy on
Sector Schemes
The attached document was approved by the IAF.14 meeting in November 2000, to apply immediately.
The the policy document is intended as a living document, which expresses IAF’s current position in regard to industry sector schemes.
SectorSchPolicy_00.doc Printed 26 September, 2001IAF–BD–00-010
Policy on Sector Schemes / Page 1 of 7
IAF Policy on Sector Schemes
1.Background
1.1.1.The International Accreditation Forum Inc (IAF) brings together the national accreditation bodies of most of the industrial countries in the world, and many developing accreditation bodies in less developed countries. Its membership also includes organizations that are representative of accredited certification / registration bodies and of industry and its customers.
1.1.2.IAF is the world’s forum for developing the principles and practices for the conduct of conformity assessment activities that will deliver the confidence needed for market acceptance to be realized. IAF brings together on a worldwide basis partner accreditation bodies and representatives of stakeholder groups that seek to facilitate global trade through the acceptance of accredited certificates of conformity. Individual IAF accreditation bodies provide recognition of the competence of certification / registration bodies in a number of fields, and notably ISO 9000 certification/registration.
1.1.3.IAF brings to world trade an internationally accepted program for reducing technical barriers to trade. The IAF Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MLA) provides industry and its customers with a means to ensure that certificates of conformance issued in one country will be accepted in other countries, where the relevant Accreditation Bodies are members of the IAF MLA.
1.1.4.The IAF program of mutual recognition includes guidance to both accreditation bodies and certification / registration bodies on the operations of their programs to ensure international acceptance. It also includes regular peer assessments of the members of the MLA to assure the market that all members of the MLA, and the certification / registration bodies accredited by them, continue to comply with IAF rules. Suppliers and customers can be assured that a certificate issued by a body accredited by a member of the IAF MLA has international credibility.
1.1.5.It is IAF policy to base all its operations on normative documents which have been developed through a consensus process involving participation by eligible / qualified parties. It is also IAF policy to require all accreditation bodies to operate their accreditation programs in conformity with the provisions of ISO/IEC Guide 61. Accreditation body members of IAF areexpected to require the bodies they accredit to comply with the provisions in ISO/IEC Guides 62, 65 or 66 as appropriate.
1.1.6.IAF policies requireall accreditation body members:
i)to operate and to maintain their IAF endorsed accreditation programs of conformity assessment in conformance with relevant ISO/IEC standards or guides, or other publicly available normative documents which have been developed in an open and transparent manner, through a consensus process involving participation by eligible / qualified parties, and which are endorsed by IAF;
ii)to operate their IAF endorsed programs in accordance with the publicly available IAF guidance documents on application of the endorsed standards or guides for accreditation bodies, IAF guidance documents on application of other relevant standards or guides for the provision of certification/registration programs, and policies on accreditation, which are issued by IAF from time to time;
iii)to recognize that an IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) is an arrangement of mutual recognition between accreditation bodies that operate the same IAF endorsed accreditation programs, which are based on publicly available standards or guides developed under a public consensus process, and that one objective of the MLA is to facilitate trade;
iv)to seek membership of a relevant IAF MLA for each program it operates for which any IAF MLA has coverage, and to accordingly subject itself to peer evaluation by IAF; and
v)to support and promote reliance on accreditation by a reputable body as a meansof imparting confidence in third party programs.
1.1.7.IAF seeks to achieve and maintain a high level of confidence in the market in the accreditation programs operated by accreditation body members, and in the activities of certification / registration bodies accredited by them. IAF is keen to avoid confusion in the market. To those ends IAF requires all its members to operate their programs in an open transparent and non-discriminatory manner, avoiding any suggestion of conflict of interest or lack of impartiality, and with appropriate complaints procedures in place, and not, for example, limiting their services to particular classes of clients.
1.1.8. IAF notes that some major industry sectors have indicated that they wish to operate conformity assessment programs specifically developed by and for their own industries. IAF recognises that most of these proposals originated indissatisfaction inthe industries concerned with the current QMS standard (ISO9000:1994), and that the thrust of the proposals are to improve the value added by the management system certification/registration.
1.1.9.This paper sets out the basic principles to which IAF will adhere in its relationships with industry groups which seek to operate industry specific conformity assessment programs.
2.The Advantages of the IAF Program
2.1.1.IAF has in place an internationally credible program for conformity assessment, covering all levels of conformity activity. Using the IAF program assists industry to avoid the time and high costs of establishing conformity infrastructure to meet its own needs.
2.1.2.The IAF program includes requirements for regular auditing and reporting of progress, with an expectation for continuous improvement.
2.1.3.The IAF program provides a single assessment process for assuring the competence of certification / registration bodies to meet the needs of industry, thus reducing costs and simplifying administration. A single assessment process avoids duplication of effort and waste which would be incurred by multiple requirements.
2.1.4.The IAF infrastructure and program is flexible and able to respond quickly and effectively to meet the specific conformity assessment needs of industry and its customers.
3.IAF Basic Policy
3.1.1.In the light of the provisions in paragraphs 1.1.6. to1.1.8., inclusive, IAF welcomes the opportunity:
i)to recognize an industry group which demonstrates that it represents a substantial part of the affected industry;
ii)to discuss with a recognized industry group wishing to operate a conformity assessment program specifically designed for that industry, means by which IAF accreditation body members may contribute their expertise and the value of the world-wide recognition program to meet that industry’s needs;
iii)to develop in co-operation with a recognized industry group, specific accreditation requirements to meet the needs of that industry, including guidance for the operation of accreditation and/or certification / registration programs intended to meet the needs of that industry;
iv)to encourage its members to implement the sector-specific requirements for the accreditation program and/or certification / registration program in accordance with the agreement with the industry.
3.1.2.IAF would prefer that the technical requirements in any industry program are set out in separate normative documents from the conformity assessment requirements, in order to assist transparency, non-discrimination and open competition among conformity assessment bodies.
3.1.3.IAF has in place a procedure for handling complaints from stakeholders. All stakeholders are invited to use these procedures to solve any problems, or raise any issues with IAF. IAF will consider seriously any criticisms regarding IAF activities in general and/or specifically activities of the IAF MLA group members.
3.1.4.IAF is prepared to take any corrective actions needed to meet the expectations of stakeholders.
3.1.5.IAF acknowledges an organisation’s right to choose any certification / registration body which is accredited by an IAF accreditation body member(s) and/or IAF MLA group member(s).
3.1.6.IAF acknowledges the customer’s right to accept any certification / registration from certification / registration bodies that are accredited by IAF accreditation body members and/or IAF MLA group members.
4.Conclusion
4.1.1.IAF will co-operate with any recognized industry group which wishes to operate a third party conformity assessment scheme, provided that the conformity assessment scheme meets the IAF basic policy as set out in Section 3. That is, the industry sector scheme –
- Is based upon a normative document which has been developed in an open and transparent manner, through a consensus process involving participation by eligible / qualified parties;
- Is operated and administeredin an open and transparent manner, avoiding conflicts of interest or limitation on the acceptance of certification / registration bodies or accreditation bodies other than technical or cost considerations;
- Makes effective use of the expertise of IAF members and the value of the IAF world wide MLA;
- Uses application guidance prepared in consultation with IAF (where such guidance is required);
- Involves in the management of the program accreditation bodies chosen from members of IAF and preferably from members of the IAF MLA;
- The certification / registration bodies chosen by the organisations to participate in the program are accredited by a member of the IAF MLA.
Contact IAF through its Secretariat –
Noel Matthews, Secretary IAF,
2 Marcus Clarke Street,
Canberra City ACT 2601
Australia
Telephone +612 6257 1962
Facsimile +612 6257 1962
email <>
SectorSchPolicy_00.doc Printed 26 September, 2001