The International Accreditation Service (IAS) recognized June 9 as World Accreditation Day by promoting the theme — Accreditation: Facilitating World Trade. More than 60 countries participated in the global initiative established by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). IAS is a recognized accreditation body and a signatory member of both ILAC and IAF, which provide the infrastructure necessary for consumers in different countries to have confidence in the safety of goods traded on the world market. Continue reading story

Pictured left, IAS President Chuck Ramani signs a proclamation recognizing World Accreditation Day.

The Washington, D.C., Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) approval process for code compliance inspections requires agencies wishing to perform third-party inspections in the nation's capital to demonstrate compliance with the 2012 DCRA Third Party Inspections Procedure Manual. Testing and inspection agencies accredited by IAS that wish to perform such inspections need only provide evidence of a current IAS accreditation certificate. Continue reading story

IAS participated in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel discussion about ISO/IEC Standard 17025 and the accreditation of food testing laboratories. The event was arranged by FDA for members of the Association of Public Health Laboratories in preparation of the forthcoming Food Safety Modernization Act regulations on food product testing, inspection and certification. IAS Vice President Raj Nathan was a panelist in the June 5 discussion in Raleigh, N.C. Continue reading story

From production to distribution, the complex crop-to-table food supply chain is fraught with risk, as demonstrated by recent outbreaks of food-related diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy-infected beef, Listeria and Salmonella. An article by IAS Vice President/CTO Patrick McCullen and Quality Manager Mohan Sabaratnam entitled "The Role of Accreditation Bodies in Supply Chain Risk Management" appeared in the March 2013 issue of Food Safety Magazine. Continue reading story

From the perspective of an accreditation body, this action by ILAC was long awaited and expected but not without some trepidation. Accredited inspection bodies also anticipated this change and realized that several adjustments to their inspection operations would have to be made. While a three-year implementation period seemed to provide sufficient time to effect changes on an international scale, it became readily apparent to ILAC-recognized accreditation bodies, that immediate action was needed to prepare themselves as well as their accredited inspection bodies for this significant change. The International Accreditation Service has been hard at work to meet the challenges of educating our accredited entities, staff and assessors on the intricacies of the revised standard in ample time. Continue reading story

Part 1 of this article, published in the April 2013 IAS eNews, discussed how building departments are looking to the IAS Special Inspection Agency (SIA) Accreditation Program to assist with their enforcement of Chapter 17 of the International Building Code. Specifically, building departments are using the program to approve SIAs doing inspections of critical building elements such as concrete, soils, and post-installed concrete anchors. Given the expertise and attention to detail required of SIAs, it is important they operate under a recognized quality management system. Continue reading story

SGS Consumer Testing Services in Istanbul, Turkey, has achieved IAS testing laboratory accreditation to ISO/IEC Standard 17025 under laboratory listing TL-543. The IAS scope of accreditation recognizes SGS to perform multiple test methods for textile leather and toys. SGS has eight divisions with more than 800 employees in Turkey. The IAS-accredited SGS laboratory in Turkey employs approximately 400 people. SGS owns a network of nearly 1,000 offices and laboratories worldwide. SGS offers service to consumers as an independent commercial company. SGS provides inspections, audits, testing and certification services. Pictured, IAS closes a meeting with SGS following assessment in Istanbul, Turkey.

In May, Mohd Hamzaini Hashim, Assistant Director of the Accreditation Division of the Malaysia Department of Standards, visited the IAS headquarters in Whittier, Calif., to learn more about IAS' accreditation processes and programs for organizations that conduct inspections. During two-week his visit, Hamzaini visited IAS-accredited facilities to understand how their inspection processes are assessed by IAS for compliance with established accreditation criteria. Continue reading story

IAS Vice President Raj Nathan (left) led the team on behalf of the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperative (APLAC) to evaluate India's National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) in April. The evaluation was part of the peer evaluation process required for accreditation bodies that are members of APLAC and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) mutual recognition arrangement (MRA). Nathan will be presenting the evaluation report at the APLAC MRA Council meeting in Vietnam this September. The evaluation examined the NABCB accreditation program for inspection agencies. NABCB provides accreditation to certification and inspection bodies based on assessment of their competence as per NABCB's criteria and in accordance with International Standards and Guidelines.

The staff at the international headquarters of the Arab Center for Engineering Studies (ACES) hosted a visit on May 6 by IAS Senior Policy Advisor Dr. David S. Nelson (fourth from left). ACES was established in Amman, Jordan in 1983, initially as a geotechnical and materials testing engineering organization. Today, ACES provides a complete range of specialized engineering services, which includes quality control of projects, special studies, environmental studies, materials testing, and land and marine surveying. ACES has 14 offices located throughout the Middle East, including four that are currently IAS-accredited testing laboratories. Dr. Izz Eddin Katkhuda (third from right) is Director and Partner of ACES, and for the past two years has served on the IAS Board of Directors.

The joint International Accreditation Service (IAS)/Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) Technical Advisory Council (TAC) — Fire Prevention Departments (FPD) held a webinar on May 29. This TAC was formed in 2010 and was tasked with development of the Accreditation Criteria for Fire Prevention and Life Safety Departments (AC426). The alpha client to be accredited to AC426 was the Florida Bureau of Fire Prevention; the Tinley Park, Ill., Fire Prevention Bureau was the second. The TAC provides IAS with input on fire prevention industry developments and potential FPD program enhancements. Continue reading story

The IAS Board of Directors met April 19 in Dallas, in conjunction with ICC's Group B Committee Action Hearings. The IAS Board convenes two in-person meetings held in the spring and the fall. Additional meetings, as needed, are held via teleconference. Topics discussed during these meetings include IAS' financial performance, updates on the IAS Management System, Accreditation Committee and Technical Advisory Council appointments, and other general IAS business. The IAS Board comprises representatives from building departments, membership organizations, and private-sector corporations. The mix of public and private representation on the IAS Board promotes dynamic and active participation and discussion. The IAS Board is chaired by John Barrios. Isam Hasenin serves as the vice-chair.

IAS held its Accreditation Committee Hearing June 7 at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Los Angeles, Calif. For the first time, the meeting was webcast—and viewed in 11 countries—to address the needs of clients and stakeholders who were unable to make the in-person meeting. During 2012, more than 25 percent of IAS's business came from international clients. IAS is the only accreditation body in the world to provide an open forum for consideration of proposed accreditation criteria. The Accreditation Committee comprises representatives from building departments, fire departments, and other regulatory-based organizations.

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