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Letter from the president.

A few days prior to public announcement, I informed IAS staff of my retirement from the organization effective March 31, 2018. This was an emotional, but satisfying moment for me having been a part of a very successful non-profit, public benefit corporation since its inception in 1973 under a legacy organization. Read more.

Nathan to introduce U.S. laboratory accreditation practices to Indian audiences.

The Association of Indian Laboratories — a registered, non-profit-making body that serves as a common platform for laboratories throughout India — invited IAS Senior Vice President Raj Nathan to introduce laboratory accreditation practices in the United States to Indian audiences at three well-attended conferences held Nov. 5-11, 2016, in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai, India. Nathan oversees the IAS accreditation program for testing laboratories worldwide, and IAS accredits laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025, the standard that is used around the world to verify the competence of testing laboratories.

IAS customers benefit from online portal.

IAS customers will now benefit from being able to manage accreditation transactions and communicate with IAS about their accreditation through a secured online customer portal connected to the IAS website. IAS Senior Vice President Raj Nathan said, "Providing a better customer service experience is our goal at IAS. The portal is one more way that IAS is working to provide the very best service for our customers."

History of special inspections presented at Construction Institute Summit.

American Society of Civil Engineers' Construction Institute/Construction Quality Management and Inspection subcommittee chairman Mark Baker presented the history of special inspections, an overview of the responsibilities established within the building code, and the implication of the responsibility of civil engineers to protect the public health, safety and welfare at the Construction Institute Summit.

"The purpose of my presentation was to encourage all engineers to promote the enforcement of special inspection requirements of the International Building Code, including the requirement that registered engineers are/and should be preparing the Statement of Inspection reports," said Baker.

Pictured (left-right, front): Melissa Schmell and Cynthia Narh; and (back) Melissa Opp, Tanya Cole, Lisa Petrone, Jess Wessner, Mimi Byelick and Linda Lysoby.

Health credentialing organization takes a global perspective on accreditation.

The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC), a recognized credentialing organization for health-related professions, earned International Accreditation Service accreditation to internationally recognized quality standard ISO/IEC 17024 Conformity assessment — General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons. NCHEC believes IAS accreditation sets it apart from the competition in the U.S. and abroad.

"NCHEC has an ongoing commitment to accreditation standards regarding certification," explains NCHEC Executive Director Linda Lysoby. "Since many health specialists work abroad, we believe it's an advantage to have an accreditation that is recognized in the international market."

How to perform an impartiality analysis.

Impartiality, per ISO/IEC Standard 17020 and 17065, is defined as presence of objectivity meaning the conflicts of interest do not exist or are resolved, so that it does not adversely influence subsequent activities of the organization. To perform an impartiality analysis/study, there are factors to be considered that ensure the integrity of the work being performed and avoid bias and prejudice in the project.

Conformity and Competence Support Services achieves IAS curriculum development and training accreditation.

Conformity and Competence Support Services, Ltd., located in the People's Republic of Bangladesh, has been accredited by the International Accreditation Service for its curriculum development and training-agency services. The organization offers professional safety education for employees and employers in manufacturing and industrial sectors throughout Bangladesh, with an emphasis on fire safety management and occupational safety and health.

Upcoming training from IAS.

The IAS training schedule of courses is posted on the IAS website. Courses include training on ISO Standards 17020, 17021, 17024, 17025, 31000, 22000, and Special Inspection Agency Accreditation. Receive a 30-percent discount for early registrations.

Food Technical Advisory Committee.

The IAS Food Safety Task Group (FSTG) meeting was held March 3 and attended by IAS President Chuck Ramani, Senior Vice President Raj Nathan and Conformity Assessment Director Dr. George Anastasopoulos, and IAS Board-appointed FSTG members. The FSTG was formed in 2015 as a task group under the Laboratory Technical Advisory Council (TAC), to discuss and identify issues pertaining to food safety in testing. However, with the growing consumer demand in food safety controls, the FSTG has broadened its scope of coverage to manage and discuss food safety issues related to accreditation of testing, inspection, product certification, Halal certification and management system certification entities. It has further included discussion on the impact of regulatory/scheme programs like Energy Star, FDA, FSSC, Global Gap, etc. to IAS and its role in the conformity assessment arena. Due to the important function of this Task group, IAS senior management have decided to convert this Task Group to a TAC on Food Safety.

The FSTG is chaired by Udo Lampe (Analytica Aimentaria GmbH) and supported by representatives from government laboratories and accredited organizations, including Melissa Calicchia (Food Microbiological Laboratories), Jesse Calvillo (AGQ Laboratories), Dr. Sri Ghanthan, Ravi Kanipayor, Dimitrios Katsieris (IAS), Dr. Mustafa A. Gassem (Saudi Food & Drug Authority) and FSTG Secretary Mohan Sabaratnam (IAS).

IAS management review meeting.

As part of its management system obligations under ISO/IEC 17011, IAS completed its 2016 internal audit discussion March 8-10 and held the management review meeting on March 13 in Brea, Calif. The IAS management review meeting is held annually to determine the accreditation body's continuing adequacy and effectiveness in its operation to the international standard ISO/IEC 17011; and to IAS stated policies and objectives. The outcome of the management review were a set of actions that will assist IAS to improve and meet current market and stakeholder needs.

Look for the IAS accreditation mark.

When you see the IAS Accreditation mark associated with a company or organization, you know IAS has evaluated it for competence and quality.

Seeking contract technical assessors and experts.

IAS is seeking contract technical assessors and experts with experience in assessing the management and technical processes of laboratories, inspection agencies, building departments and product certification agencies.

Let us know what you are thinking.

IAS strives to continually improve our services and solicits feedback, positive or negative, which we will use to provide better service to our clients and stakeholders. Visit the Contact Us page of the IAS website to share your comments.

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