Initial Accreditation Requirement for witness audits

Action required

Noting the changes described below.

Affected customers

Certification Bodies certifying products, processes and services (ISO/IEC 17065), management systems (ISO/IEC 17021-1), Greenhouse Gas Verifiers and Validators (ISO 14065) and Inspection Bodies (ISO/IEC 17020), auditors, and assessors.

Background

SCC’s Accreditation Services has issued updated requirements for witness audits related of conformity assessment bodies in IBAP, CBAP, GHG and MSAP that are required for accreditation. The primary purpose of this bulletin is to outline the changes.

New requirements

• Accreditation will be granted with the condition that one witness audit takes place within six months of the date of granting initial accreditation.
• For inspection bodies accredited to ISO/IEC 17020 only: Before the initial witness audit takes place, the IB may perform inspections as long as SCC is present on-site. An IB is not allowed to apply inspection labels on the inspected equipment without the physical presence of, and agreement of an SCC IBAP assessor.

What’s Revised:

• Scope of accreditation, for all affected bodies will be updated with applicable witness audit requirements.

Deadline

The revisions to the criteria for accreditation are considered minor, the new revisions are in effect immediately.

Questions?

For any further questions, please contact Abdel Kassou, Manager, Compliance and Assessment Services, Accreditation Services, at abdel.kassou@scc.ca or +1 613 238 3222.