HKCAS Special Report

1

contents

HKCAS Special Report1

ILAC General Assembly8

Accreditation Update10

New Training Course - ISO / IEC Guide 61 and 6212

Training Courses11

Update on IAF Activities9

Fourth General Assembly of APLAC6

Hong Kong Accreditation Service

Issue No.

January 1999

21

"At present, most of these certification bodies are

accredited by accreditation bodies outside Hong

Kong," commented Mr. Ho while speaking at the

Conformity Assessment Seminar held on November

2 at the Great Eagle Hotel. "We believe that the

Hong Kong Instills Faith by Accrediting Certification Bodies

Mr. Ho speaking at the Conformity Assessment Seminar held on November 2 at the Great Eagle Hotel

Hong Kong can now further strengthen its quality

drive across industries by accrediting certification

bodies through which quality certifications are issued,

as the Hong Kong Certification Body Accreditation

Scheme (HKCAS) officially came into being with the

formulation of the Hong Kong Accreditation Service

(HKAS) on November 2, 1998.

The long-awaited scheme, in its f irst phase of

operation, will offer accreditation to ISO 9000 quality

system certification bodies in compliance with the

requirements of ISO/IEC Guide 62. Accreditation of

product certification, inspection and environmental

management certification bodies will be progressively

introduced at a later stage.

According to Mr. Francis Ho, JP, Director-General

of Industry, the aim of establishing the HKCAS is to

enhance confidence in the capability and integrity of

certification bodies operating in Hong Kong.

HKAS, being a local body, will be able to monitor

and collect feedback on the practices of certification

bodies in Hong Kong more effectively, and it will be

able to consult users and respond more rapidly to

their needs."

By providing assurance on the capability and integrity

of its certification bodies, says Mr. Ho, Hong Kong

will generate more confidence in the quality of its

products and services and vastly enhance the image

of Hong Kong's exports.

The HKCAS is operated under the auspices of the

HKAS, which also oversees the operation of the

time-tested Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation

Scheme (HOKLAS). Together, they will stand to

prove Hong Kong is acting in line with the current

international trend in which a single government-

supported organization provides accreditation

to both laboratories and certification bodies on

a voluntary basis.

Conformity Assessment Seminar

A member of the International Accreditation

Forum (IAF), the HKAS will work towards becoming

a member of the IAF Multilateral Recognition Agreement

s igned in January , 1998, by 13 s ignatory

accreditation bodies worldwide.

The Conformity Assessment Seminar was part of

the launching event for the HKAS. Also present at

the seminar were Mr. John Donaldson, Chairman of

ISO/CASCO, Ms. Bo Yumin, Chief of Certification

Services of State Bureau of Technical Supervision

(CSBQTS), China, and Mr. Lars Ettarp, Chairman of

European Co-operation of Accreditation.

2

standard," said Mr. Patrick Kwong, Chief Assistant

Secretary (Technical Services) of the Works Bureau.

"With the HKAS now in place, we can gradually

extend the quality drive to cover not only major

consultants and contractors but also medium size ones."

The Works Bureau is equally committed to have all

works departments develop their own quality

management systems to cover their major activities,

namely the design and construction of public works

projects. The ISO 9000 certification will generally

form the foundation of such quality systems.

Also an appointed member of the Hong Kong

Accreditation Advisory Board (AAB) - the

independent advisory committee of the HKAS - Mr.

Kwong points out that the Works Bureau will not

totally rule out certification bodies accredited by

other accreditation bodies. Accreditation bodies

having a multilateral agreement with the HKAS will

be considered as equivalents.

"Quality improvement is a never-ending process.

Only through continuous self-improvement that one Mr. Patrick Kwong

Quality Assurance of Public Works Not Negotiable

The Works Bureau has left little room for negotiation

when it comes to quality control for public works. Back

in 1993, the then Works Branch made it a policy that

all consultants and contractors undertaking major public

works projects were required to obtain ISO 9000

certification.

The policy went down well in the industry as by November

this year, more than 100 consultants and 280

contractors have obtained the said qualification.

With the launching of the HKAS, the Works

Bureau has refined its policy to accept only ISO

9000 certificates with HKAS accreditation or

equivalent. A year's grace period is thought to be

sufficient for the existing certifica-

tion bodies to obtain the required

accreditation.

"In the past, in the absence of a

central accreditation body, we have

devised an interim measure to

recognize only certification bodies

meeting certain international

HKAS

NEWS

NEWS

3

stays professional and competitive. Both the

government and the private sector should make it a

common goal to strive for the better and the

accreditation service provided by the HKAS will

serve well towards that end." Said Mr. Kwong.

Added Value Elevates Local Accreditation

The potency of the new accredita-

tion scheme relies largely on

the added value it gives to the

cert i f icates issued by the

certification bodies, according

to Professor Joshua Wong,

Chairman of AAB and Vice

President of The Hong Kong

Polytechnic University.

A veteran in accreditation and certification, Professor

Wong has served in the same capacity for HOKLAS

since 1985.

"It is like having an academic degree. If given the

choice, what would an employer rather have, one

accredited also by the local authority which has

multilateral recognition agreements with other

international bodies or one accredited elsewhere but

without the local seal?" analogized Professor Wong.

"To local users, local accreditation gives more

confidence, more assurance of capability and

integrity of the certification bodies. It shows the

certification bodies are impartial ones that can be

Professor Joshua Wong

Accreditation: The Way Forward

and objectively in performing its assessments.

These aspects are the specialties of Mr. Raymond

Bange, Senior Assignment Officer of the Corruption

Prevention Department (CPD) of the Independent

Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

An expert in analyzing procurement, contract and

management systems and a seasoned accreditation

and quality control professional in his own right, Mr.

Bange is an appointed member of the AAB. His

special interests involve corruption within the

infrastructure sector and the development of

general anti-corruption strategies.

"Hong Kong needs an umbrella organization

responsible for the accreditation of certification bodies

and to provide government level liaison with other

countries and certification systems," said Mr. Bange.

He believes such a body can establish regional and

broader multilateral agreements that promote free

trade and eliminate barriers by removing the

necessity for companies to seek multiple certifica-

tions and product approvals.

"Our department has a particular interest in the

success of the HKAS as well as being able to provide

a direct expert input," said Mr. Bange. "We understand

the problems of certification. We examine the issues

and analyze the underlying features and problems so

we can set up procedures and systems that will

minimize the risk of something going wrong."

Mr. Raymond Bange

To be accredited by the HKAS,

a certification body must be able

to insti l l confidence in the

integrity of its certi f ication

process and meet requirements

that demonstrate its ability of

operating independently, impartially

The CPD is endowed with the responsibility for

assessing risk and giving corruption prevention

advice to some 65 government departments and 55

public bodies. It also provides similar service to

private industry on demand.

To him, good management and freedom from

corruption lead to good quality. Hong Kong is an

international city and, therefore, must operate

according to the best international standards. The

importance of the HKAS is that it can stimulate the

quality expectations and awareness of industries in

meeting these challenges.

"In a competitive world, quality is paramount. One

of the means of achieving high standards of quality

is to have well-established accreditation and

certification systems," stressed Mr. Bange. "In this

endeavour, the HKAS is leading the way."

HKAS

NEWS

NEWS

Mr. Leslie Lee

held responsible for decisions. And that makes itmore desirable than without."

Since the HKAS operates on a voluntary level, Professor Wong believes the market has a role to play. "The power of the HKAS is also determined by the market, by the wish of clients who want their certificates to be accredited by the local authority as well," said Professor Wong.

Persuasion is almost automatic when regulatory bodies and buyers that stipulate ISO 9000 or other certification requirements insist on accreditation by the new scheme.

"The message is accreditation granted by the HKAS can impart greater confidence in both organizations receiving the certification and those giving it. Eventually it will raise the awareness of quality among industries in general."

Professor Wong expects the HKAS to take off smoothly once industries warm up to the idea. According to him, the smaller and less-known certification bodies will benefit most as accreditation by the scheme means instant recognition among others.

with international practice. Though some of the certification bodies operating in Hong Kong have accreditation from abroad, a local one will ensure their branches here operate in the same professional manner as their parent companies while adhering to the business culture specific to Hong Kong.

Accreditation by the HKAS is even more important to export-minded companies, according to Mr. Lee, as they can unite as a front with the HKAS in international quality forums and in reaching multilateral accreditation agreements.

"An extra accreditation by a proper, local authority should not be interpreted as an extra burden," explained Mr. Lee. "The certification bodies and companies that want to be certified should be supportive of the idea as accreditation means they are more qualified of what they do and represent."

Mr. Lee concedes some companies will still take the road of least resistance when it comes to accredita-tion and certification. But all that will change once the quality culture takes root at all levels. As he puts it, quality is not an option. It is survival.

Quality Culture Ensures Survival of the Fittest

Accreditation by the HKAS not only means the certification body meets the clearly defined criteria set out by the ISO/IEC Guide 62, but also the concerned party will most likely come out as a winner of global competition.

Mr. Leslie Lee is a member of the Working Partyfor Accreditation of Certifica-tion Bodies, which serves the AAB on technical issues of individual industries. Mr. Lee is also the Director of Highgrade Resources Ltd., a company geared towards providing consultancy on ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 quality systems and total quality management.

"Accreditation is not a fancy idea. It is actually essential. The room for Hong Kong to compete with its neighboring countries and in the world as a whole is bigger in quality than in quantity, in added value than in low value," said Mr. Lee. "The HKAS can help as it raises the awareness of quality across

sectors while eliminating the time-consumption and often expensive procedure of repetitive accreditation and certif ication across economies."

As a quality professional, Mr. Lee sees the establish-ment of the HKAS as a natural evolution in line

Mr. Donald Chia

Collective Efforts for Brighter Future

Mr. Donald Chia, JP, believes all six and a half millions of Hong Kong people have a role to play when it comes to quality and the future of Hong Kong.

Mr. Chia is an appointed mem -ber of the AAB and a long-serving quality advisor to the government. He is also the Chairman of Pharmakon

International Laboratory Ltd., a leading pharmaceutical

4

HKAS

NEWS

NEWS

5

company to which quality and consistence are above all concerns.

"Quality is not just for certification bodies or companies that want certification. It applies to all industries and sectors. We are living in a very expensive economy. The best - if not the only - way to go is to produce quality products and services of global standard that sell better and at higher added value. Accreditation is a lead taken by the govern-ment to prove that vital point." Said Mr. Chia.

Mr. Chia reflects that businessmen are a special species, very practical and very sensitive to costs. The HKAS can actually help cut the time and money it takes in getting recognition in other parts of the world. In addition, it ensures the quality of certifica-tion bodies through which certificates are issued.

"The good thing about the HKAS is one can get

accepted automatically elsewhere," said Mr. Chia.

He reckons that once the scheme kicks off and with

the other accreditation services progressively

phased in, the quality drive will gather momentum

across all sectors.

"We should not stop here. Quality is an on-going

process. Companies, big and small, should be

constantly reminded that only by demanding quality

can they survive in a fiercely competitive world."

"Accreditation is a three-party issue among the

HKAS, the certification bodies and the companies

opting for certification. Together they can make it

work, a basic rule of supply and demand."

Concluded Mr. Chia.

Mr. Derek Cheng

of BSI Pacific Limited.

BSI was the first organization in the world to publish the ISO 9000 qual i ty management systems then known as BS5750. It has issued more than 40,000 certificates in 70 countries and continues to expand its activities throughout the world.

Mr. Cheng is a member of the Working Party for Accreditation of Certification Bodies. Representing the interest of certification bodies and sharing his expertise in the field, Mr. Cheng is convinced the accreditation scheme will be accepted by his counterparts.

"It is fundamentally a marketing concern. Though voluntary, the accreditation by the HKAS may very well be stipulated by regulatory bodies like the Works Bureau. To participate in major works projects, you simply need the accreditation. There are no two ways about it." Analyzed Mr. Cheng.

A world leader in third-party registration covering most industry sectors is actively considering joining the HKAS, hints Mr. Derek Cheng, General Manager

Market Leader Urges Participation in Accreditation

He thinks companies striving for better performance may also welcome the idea because it helps raise the level of awareness of quality and a consistent approach to quality system certification.

"It is in our interest to consider such accreditation," said Mr. Cheng. "It ties in well with our business development in South-East Asia. Local companies may actually demand a local accreditation. It is a matter of inducing confidence."

However, he does anticipate some hesitationfrom industries. Including the HKAS, there are five accreditation schemes in Greater China alone. Getting all may be a little bit tricky.

But drawing on the renowned success of HOKLAS, companies will have more reasons to expect the HKAS will enter into fruitful multilateral agreements or memoranda of understanding with other countries or regions. His forecast is, once the leading certifica-tion bodies are in, the others will follow suit.

"The ultimate target of ISO 9000 is to giveorganizations better value by continuous improve-ment of quality," said Mr. Cheng. "If the HKAS can help achieve that in an effective, professional and international manner, why not?"

HKAS

NEWS

NEWS

Technical Committee

The Technical Committee is established to evaluate technical accreditation issues. Working groups are formed

to evaluate and adopt ILAC and EA documents and draft new do cuments. Examples of aspects being studied

include the joint APLAC-EA policy on measurement traceabilit y, measurement uncertainty, presentation of

scope of accreditation, use of accreditation body logos, accreditation of inspection bodies, internal audits and

quality system reviews. Several documents were accepted by in the General Assembly for publication under

the name of APLAC. Documents issued by the Technical Committee are guidance documents rather than

mandatory requirements.

GENERALASSEMBLY

NominationsCommittee

Board ofManagement

MRACouncil

Committee 1Training

CommitteeCommittee 2

PublicInformationCommittee

Committee 3Proficiency

TestingCommittee

Committee 4TechnicalCommittee

Committee 5MRA Advisory

Committee

Structure of APLAC

Fourth General Assembly of APLAC

The fourth Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation

Cooperation (APLAC) General Assembly hosted by

the International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ)

was held in Auckland, New Zealand on 14 and 15

October 1998. APLAC comprises 24 accreditation

bodies as its full members and four associate members

from 19 Asia-Pacific economies. Routine management

is delegated to a Board of Management and projects

are carried out through four committees, including

the Technical Committee, the Training Committee,

the Proficiency Testing Committee and the Public

Information Committee. An organization chart of

APLAC is shown below. A seminar and meetings of

these four committees were held on the days

preceding the general assembly. HKAS was

represented by L.H. Ng and S.S. Chan at the

meetings. L.H. Ng is Chairman of the Training

Committee and she also represented a talk on

"The Role of Conformity Assessment in Trade - A

Hong Kong Prospective" at the seminar.

6

HKAS

NEWS

NEWS

Admittance of 3 new members on APLAC MRA

Information Committee

The Information Committee establishes an internet

website for APLAC (http://www.ianz.govt.nz/aplac) and

publishes APLAC News Notes and other APLAC

publications. The APLAC internet website was recently

revamped to provide more information. APLAC News

Notes are now available from this site.

Training Committee

Assessor qualification and competence are crucial

to the quality of laboratory assessments and it is

the subject of a guideline document drafted by the

Training Committee. This guideline has been

submitted to the ILAC Technical Committee for

finalisation and worldwide adoption. The Training

Committee has also assessed the training needs of

APLAC members through a questionnaire survey

and ways of helping members satisfy those needs

sponsoring training packages consisting of videos,

training manuals and an optional presenter to help

smaller accreditation bodies.

Proficiency Testing Committee

Organizing proficiency testing programs is the remit

of the Proficiency Testing Committee. So far, 12

calibration programs and 11 testing programs have been

conducted. This committee also provides training

relating to proficiency testing, including attachment

training, workshops and training courses. On the request

of the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA)

Advisory Committee, the Proficiency Testing Committee

drafted criteria on proficiency testing which each

APLAC MRA signatory should comply with. The criteria

states that each calibration and testing laboratory of

the APLAC MRA signatories should take part in at least

one appropriate proficiency testing activity before

gaining accreditation and, after gaining accreditation,

participate in one appropriate proficiency testing

activity for each major part of their scope of accreditation

at least every four years. Proficiency testing activities

include interlaboratory comparisons and measurement

audits. As a signatory of the APLAC MRA, HOKLAS

will implement thest requirements.

MRA Council and MRA Advisory Committee

Establishing and maintaining a multilateral arrange-

ment among members is a mission of APLAC. The

MRA Council and the MRA Advisory Committee were

established for this purpose. The MRA Advisory

Committee meeting was held in the morning of 14

October 1998 in Auckland to discuss general mutual

recognition issues. The MRA Council deals with the

acceptance of specific members into the MRA. In its

meeting held after the General Assembly in Sydney,

Australia on 22 October 1998, three more accreditation

bodies, including KOLAS of Korea, and JAB and JNLA

of Japan were accepted into the MRA. These new

members have undergone rigorous on-site evaluations

and found to be operating in compliance with the

ISO/IEC Guide 58. Together with the original seven

members, i.e. NATA of Australia, HOKLAS of Hong

Kong, China, IANZ of New Zealand, SAC-SINGLAS of

Singapore, CNLA of Chinese Taipei and A2LA and

NVLAP of the United States of America, there are a

total of ten signatories to the APLAC MRA. The essence

of the MRA is that signatories recognize each other's

accreditations as equivalent and accept endorsed

certificates issued by the signatories accredited

laboratories.

Seminar of the Role of Conformity Assessment in Trade

As accreditat ion fac i l i tates trade, opportunity

was taken to hold a half-day seminar on the role

of conformity assessment in eliminating technical

barriers to trade on 12 October 1998. Seven

dist inguished speakers, including Ms Vivien Liu,

the Secreta ry o f the WTO Commit tee on

Technical Barriers to Trade were invited to give

their views on various aspects of the subject.

7

HKAS

NEWS

NEWS

Participants at the ILAC Seminar

8

ILAC General AssemblyILAC General Assembly

The ILAC biennial meeting was hosted by NATA

and held in Sydney, Australia from 18-23 October

1998. 257 delegates from 37 economies attended

the meeting. ILAC currently has 43 full members

and 6 associate members. HKAS was represented

by L.H. Ng who presented a talk on "A World

Accreditation Mark" at the seminar.

ILAC Seminar

A seminar with the focus on the three themes "Is

Accreditation Working for its Customers", "ISO/

IEC Guide 25 - the Next Generation" and "New

Horizons for Accreditation" was held. Speakers

were drawn from accreditation bodies, laboratories

and users of laboratories including government

bodies.

At the 2- day meeting of the General Assembly,

reports on the projects undertaken by each of

committees of ILAC were presented. Topics of

special interest were:

Reports from regional and international bodies

such as APLAC, BIPM, IAF, IEC, ISO, OIML and WTO

were also presented.

The ILAC internet website address is http://www.ilac.org.

•the development of an ILAC MRA

•co-operation with stakeholders

•co-operation and possible merger with IAF

•a permanent ILAC Secretariat

•implications of the new ISO / IEC Guide 25

•a guidance document on Assessor Qualification

and Competence

•requirements for the competence of reference

materials producers

•requirements for the competence of proficiency

testing schemes

•guidance for forensic laboratories

Australian Cultural DancePerformance at ILAC Opening

HKAS

NEWS

NEWS

Update on IAF Activities Roger Brockway, the Chairman said this had been

discussed before and he reiterated the IAF's policy that:

The term "shall" is used to indicate those provisions

which, reflecting the requirements of ISO/IEC

Guide, are mandatory. The term "should" is used

to indicate those provisions which, although they

constitute guidance for the application of the

requirements, are expected to be adopted by a

certification / registration body. Any variations from

the guidance by a certification/registration body

shall be an exception. Such variations will only be

permitted on a case by case basis after the

certification / registration body has demonstrated

to the accreditation body that the exception meets

the requirements of the relevant clause of ISO / IEC

Guide and the intent of the IAF Guidance in some

equivalent way.

WG2 is preparing the IAF document "Policies and

Procedures for a Multilateral Recognition Agree-

ment among Accreditation Bodies".

WG3 is working on the Alternative Method for

Maintaining ISO 9000 Certification /Registration.

WG4 is for emerging accreditation bodies and

these are accreditation bodies which are not

yet signatories of the IAF Multilateral Recognition

Agreement (MLA). WG4 identified the following

areas of concern.

•Assessor and auditor training

•Transfer of knowledge

•Development of documentation in more than one language

•Secondment of management for training to MLA members

•International certification bodies operating in emerging economies with no checks and balances

•Availability of technical experts

•Assistance to attend IAF

•Initial entry requirements to MLA group

•Participation in working groups

•Education of emerging economy governments on benefits and integrity of accreditation bodies

Tommy Fung represented HKAS in WG1 and WG4

meetings.

One of the main tasks of WG1 is to prepare IAF

guidance document on relevant ISO standards.

Draft 5 of the IAF Guidance on ISO/IEC Guide 65

(General requirements for bodies operating product

certification systems) was distributed to members

in September 98 for consideration in this meeting.

After discussion of comments raised by members,

draft 6 of this guidance document was prepared.

The other work of WG1 includes providing guide-

lines to problems encountered by IAF members in

implementation of standard / guidance documents.

One of the issues discussed during WG1 meeting

was the interpretation of the words "shall" and

"should" in the IAF documents. An accreditation

body member raised the problem encountered

during his assessment of a certification body. The

certification body argued that "should" means it

should be done but is not a must and is not a

requirement. If it is not a requirement, a non-

compliance cannot be raised by the assessor. Mr.

The 12th Plenary Meeting of the International

Accreditation Forum (IAF) was held in October

1998 in Sanctuary Cove, Australia. Working Group

(WG) Meetings were held prior to the Plenary

Meeting. Recommendations from working groups

were reported to the Plenary for approval.

Approved recommendations will be issued by the

Secretariat and imple-mented by all IAF members.

There are four IAF Working Groups.

WG1 : Guidelines on the implementation of

relevant standard /guidance documents

WG2 : Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MLA)

WG3 : Document Control Procedures

Alternative Method for Maintaining ISO

9000 Certification /Registration

WG4 : Emerging Accreditation Bodies

9

HKAS

NEWS

NEWS

Suspension and Terminations

TÜV Rheinland Hong Kong Limited has voluntarily suspended thei r accreditation for all tests for chemical,

flammability and physical and mechanical tests for the Test Category of Toys and Children's Products with effect

from 13 August 1998. However, the accreditation of the laboratory for all the tests except some chemical tests

was reinstated on 22 October 1998.

Furgro Geotechnical Services (Hong Kong) Ltd. has voluntaril y terminated its accreditation for the cone

penetration test under the Test Category of Construction Materials with effect from 20 July 1998.

Stanger Asia Ltd. has voluntarily suspended the stability te st of compression testing machine under the Test

Category of Calibration Services with effect from 28 Septemb er 1998.

All accredited tests of the Chek Lap Kok Site Laboratory of MateriaLab Limited was voluntarily terminated

effective from 23 October 1998.

The Commercial Testing Laboratory of Hong Kong Polytechnic University has voluntarily terminated all

accredited tests effective from 1 November 1998.

10

The Pioneer Tarmac Joint Venture has been granted the accreditation for physical tests on aggregates and

bituminous materials under the Test Category of Construction Materials. This laboratory is an in-house

laboratory and is not normally available for public testing.

Registration number 86 was granted to the Guangzhou Worldwid e Standards and Testing Co. Ltd. for the

chemical tests, colour fastness tests, flammability tests and physical and mechanical tests under the Test

Category of Toys and Children's Products. This laboratory will provide testing services to the public. The total

number of laboratories accredited for the Toys and Children's Products Test Category is eighteen, five of which

are located across the border in mainland China.

The Calibration Laboratory of Tektronix Hong Kong Limited wa s granted accreditation for the calibration

of oscilloscopes under the Test Category of Calibration Serv ices. This laboratory will offer calibration

services to the public.

New Accreditations Granted

Accreditation Update

Readers are suggested to visit the HOKLAS website on

the internet at http://www.info.gov.hk/id/hoklas for

the most up-to-date scope of accreditation for a specific

laboratory.

HKAS

NEWS

NEWS

Training Courses

As demand

for these workshops

has remained high,

they will be repeated from

17-19 March

and 22-23 March 1999

respectively.

The jointHKAS-NATA Workshopson Quality Managementin the Laboratory andInternal Quality System Auditswere held on 2-4 Decemberand 7-8 December 1998

respectively.As on previous occasions,the courses were well receivedby the participants with fifty-twopeople attending.

Proficiency Testing Update

A proficiency testing programme involving the determination of binder content and aggregate grading for

bituminous materials was conducted. A total of twelve labor atories participated and statistical analysis of the

results are being processed.

Samples for second round of the on-going soil proficiency pr ogramme which involves the moisture content /dry

density relationship determination jointly organised by the Public Works Laboratories of the Civil Engineering

Department and HKAS were dispatched. The report is being prepared.

HKAS Executive is planning a proficiency testing programme t o cover the moisture content determination,

fineness and water requirement of pulverised fuel ash. Samp les will be dispatched to accredited laboratories

after homogeneity of samples is ascertained. Interested but not accredited laboratories may also participate

subject to the availability of samples.

11

HKAS

NEWS

NEWS

If you wish to contribute to the next newsletter or require further information on any of the items in this newsletter,

please contact the HKAS Executive

36/F Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Hong Kong. Tel: 2829 4802 Fax: 2824 1302

Website address: http://www.info.gov.hk/id/hkas/

E-mail address: hkas@id.gcn.gov.hk

New Training Course - ISO/IEC Guide 61 and 62

To prepare for the launching of the accreditation

scheme for certification bodies, HKAS commissioned

a new training course for its full-time accreditation

officers and potential assessors. The course was

conducted by Mr. Ivan Waples, Manager Training

Services of NATA and Mr. Garry Ferris, General

Manager, Standards & Policy of NATA Certification

Services on 15-17 September 1998. According to Mr.

Waples this course is the first of its kind in the world.

The course, entitled "Accredita tion of Quality

System Certification Bodies", is based on ISO/IEC

Guides 61 and 62 and the outline of the course

was as follows:

• Requirements for Certification Bodies

Relationships between ISO/IEC Guide 62, the cor-

responding IAF Guidance document and HKCAS 003.

• Key issues in ISO/IEC Guide 62

Detailed consideration of the content, interpretation

and application of the key requirements of ISO/IEC

Guide 62 and the related documents.

• Accreditation of Certification Bodies

Relationships between ISO/IEC Guide 61, the cor-

responding IAF Guidance document and HKCAS 002.

• Assessment of Certification Bodies

Detailed consideration of the assessment process,

including the appl icat ion for accreditat ion,

preparation and planning, the administration audit,

witnessing audits, and the assessment report.

• Techniques of Assessment

Effective information and evidence gathering,

inc luding ef fect ive quest ioning techniques ,

examination of records, and examination of facilities;

s trateg ies for improving ef fect iveness of

investigation and improving communication.

This course was attended by fourteen participants,

comprising potential assessors, members of the

interim working group for accreditation of

certification bodies and HKAS Executive staff.

An informal workshop on the content and

application of the requirements of ISO/IEC Guide

65 - General Requirements for Bodies Operating

Product Certification Systems was also conducted.

12 printed by the Printing Department

HKAS

NEWS

NEWS