SCC Policy for Scope Extensions and List of Standards in the Product, Process, and Service Certification Accreditation Program (CBAP) – AMENDED

Bulletin date:
Bulletin number:
2019-11

Action required

SCC has established a new policy for scope extensions for the addition of standards that the certification body (CB) wishes to use in its certifications issued under SCC accreditation. This policy was first announced in SCC’s Accreditation Bulletin Number 2018-16. SCC has now revised the policy document to provide more comprehensive guidance for CBs. The fully revised policy outlined in this bulletin is effective immediately and replaces the policy outlined in Bulletin Number 2018-16.

 

This policy applies to certification bodies in SCC’s Certification Body Accreditation Program (CBAP). CBs are requested to take note of the requirements detailed below.

 

Affected customers

Accredited product, process, and service certification bodies, as well as SCC assessors and technical experts working in SCC CBAP.

 

Background

SCC has implemented this policy in order to provide clarity to certification bodies in the area of scope extensions. In addition, this policy will allow certification bodies to quickly and efficiently adapt, enabling them to provide certifications in an environment of rapidly changing standards and technologies.

 

New requirements

The policy is as follows:

 

A. If a CB wishes to provide SCC-accredited certification to an additional standard, and that standard falls under both an ICS code and purpose that are already listed on the CB’s published scope of accreditation, the CB may certify to that standard under its SCC accreditation without applying for a scope modification. The CB shall maintain evidence that their procedures were followed according to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17065 for the added standard.

 

B. If a CB wishes to provide SCC-accredited certification to a standard that is outside the ICS codes published on its SCC scope of accreditation, or which is outside the purposes listed on that scope, the CB must first apply for a scope modification. The CB cannot certify to that standard until the scope of accreditation is updated to include the new ICS code and/or the new purpose.

 

C. All accredited CBs shall maintain a current list of standards to which they offer certification under SCC accreditation. This list must be maintained in MS Excel or in a tab-delimited format, and must include the following information about each standard:

  • Standard number (with year of publication)
  • Standard title
  • ICS Code which applies to the standard. All National Standards of Canada have an ICS code listed in the standard itself. For those standards, and for any others in which an ICS code is published, a CB must use only that published code in its list entry for that standard including those ending in .01 or .99, with the exception of one element codes. 

 

One element codes are not acceptable even if it is the ICS code cited in the standard.  If this is the situation, the CB must decide on the most applicable three element code, but not those ending in .01 or .99, and the rationale must be clear and concise regarding the reason for that ICS code is being selected.

 

As many standards cite more than one ICS code, it is incumbent upon the CB to ensure that they apply the most relevant applicable ICS code for the certification services they provide.

 

For any other standard, it falls to the CB to determine the appropriate ICS code to use, and the CB must provide SCC with the rationale for its selection. To document its rationale, CBs are advised to use:

  • Written confirmation from the SDO, or
  • Written confirmation from the Scheme Owner.

 

In the absence of such confirmation, the CB may provide other documentation to outline why, in its professional judgment, a particular code should apply (e.g. a gap analysis or rationale). Note that these records may be assessed by SCC at any time.

  • Standard technical category. Certification bodies are required to determine relevant technical categories for all the standards to which they offer certification under SCC accreditation. Examples of appropriate categories include ‘plumbing,’ ‘hazardous materials’ and ‘photovoltaic.’ Normally, categories should align with a CB’s internal technical categories. However, if a CB does not have such technical categories, the CB may list the appropriate ICS codes (see above) in this part of the table.

 

D. The list of standards shall be a controlled document and shall include the last revision date.

 

E. Until March 31, 2020, if a CB does not provide an assessor with a list of standards which meets the requirements of Part C above, and also fails to provide evidence of having begun the work of developing such a list, an observation will be raised against this bulletin.

 

F. Beginning April 1, 2020, each CB must make its list of standards available for SCC assessments. If the list of standards is not available at the time when SCC makes their request, an NCR against this bulletin will be issued.

 

G. SCC will not routinely provide confirmation that any particular standard falls under an ICS code covered by a CB’s scope of accreditation. To obtain such confirmation (for example, to meet the requirements of a regulator), a CB will need to pay applicable fees.

 

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.