Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS)

http://www.itc.gov.hk/en/quality/hkas/about.htm

Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS) provides accreditation for laboratories, certification bodies and inspection bodies located in Hong Kong, through the Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (HOKLAS) , Hong Kong Certification Body Accreditation Scheme (HKCAS) and Hong Kong Inspection Body Accreditation Scheme (HKIAS) respectively. HOKLAS was launched in 1985; HKCAS was launched in 1998 while HKIAS was launched in 1999.

HKAS is advised by the Accreditation Advisory Board (AAB) on matters relating to accreditation. Chairman and members of AAB are appointed by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development under the delegated authority of the Chief Executive. Working Parties and Task Forces are established under AAB to undertake specific tasks.

HKAS Executive is responsible for administering HKAS, including the accreditation schemes undertaken by HKAS. HKAS has also established a cadre of assessors and technical experts for carrying out assessments for each of the accreditation scheme.

HKAS is a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC) and Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC). HKAS is also a signatory to the multilateral mutual recognition arrangements of these cooperations. All together under these arrangements, HKAS has 85 mutual recognition arrangement partners in 67 economies.

The principal aims and objectives of HKAS are:

to upgrade the standard of operation of certification bodies, inspection bodies and laboratories.
to offer official recognition to competent certification bodies, inspection bodies and testing and calibration laboratories which meet international standards.
to promote the acceptance of data, results, reports and certificates obtained by accredited certification bodies, inspection bodies and laboratories.
to establish mutual recognition agreements with overseas accreditation bodies.
to eliminate the need for repetition of testing, calibration, certification and inspection in the input of economics and thereby reducing costs and facilitating free trade across borders.
Hong Kong Accreditation Service operates in accordance with relevant international standards and its assessment personnel abide by the following Code of Ethics:

• Be impartial, objective, positive, open and helpful.
• Avoid any situation that may give rise to real or perceived conflict of interest or compromise of impartiality.
• Not accept bribery of any form.
• Not discuss with or disclose to any third party any findings or confidential information relating to any assessment activity unless required by law or with written consent of both HKAS Executive and the assessed organisation.
• Not act in any way that may prejudice the reputation and interests of HKAS and the organisation being assessed.
• Only undertake assessments in which one is competent, be prepared to admit one's limitation but ready to exercise judgement within ones area of expertise.Prepare adequately, assess diligently, focus on significant issues and report findings truthfully and fairly.
• Treat all persons tactfully and with respect.
• Consider seriously the views of the assessed organisation.
• Cooperate fully with other members of the assessment team.

ISO 9000 - From Wikipedia

ISO 9000 | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ISO 9000 is a family of standards related to quality management systems, outlines the requirements needed to ensure organizations meet the needs of its customers while striving to meet their expectations. The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and available through National standards bodies. ISO 9000 deals with the fundamentals of quality management systems, including the eight management principles) on which the family of standards is based. ISO 9001 deals with the requirements that organizations wishing to meet the standard have to fulfill.

Third party certification bodies provide independent confirmation that organizations meet the requirements of ISO 9001. Over a million organizations worldwide are independently certified, making ISO 9001 one of the most widely used management tools in the world today. Despite widespread use, however, the ISO certification process has been criticized[6][7] as being wasteful and not being useful for all organizations

Product certification

Product certification | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Product certification or product qualification is the process of certifying that a certain product has passed performance tests and quality assurance tests, and meets qualification criteria stipulated in contracts, regulations, or specifications (typically called Certification Schemes in the Product Certification industry).

Most Product Certification Bodies (or Product Certifiers) are accredited to ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996, an international standard for ensuring competence in those organizations performing product certifications. The organizations which perform this accreditation are called Accreditation Bodies, and they themselves are assessed by international peers against the ISO 17011 standard. Accreditation Bodies which participate in the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) Multilateral Agreement (MLA) also ensure that these accredited Product Certifiers meet additional requirements set forth in the publicly available document "IAF GD5:2006 - IAF Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996" available at http://www.iaf.nu/articles/Guidance_Documents/31.

Examples of some Certification Schemes include the Safety Equipment Institute for protective headgear, the Federal Communications Commission Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB) program for radio communication devices, the Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR program, the IECEE Product Safety Certification Body Scheme (IEECE CB Scheme), and the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute Indoor Air Quality program. Certification Schemes are typically written to include both the performance test methods that the product must be tested to, as well as the criteria which the product must meet to become Certified.

Certifications (and the certificates that document their existence) are often called certs in the everyday jargon of various industries.

Passive fire protection - Promat UK Limited

http://www.promat-durasteel.co.uk/

Promat UK Limited is a market leader in passive fire protection and high temperature insulation, with a fire protection range that offers a unique combination of product benefits: exceptional strength, impact and moisture resistance, ease of working, installation and safety in use.

Promat UK Limited is a subsidiary of Promat International, which has sales offices, factories and workshops worldwide.

Promat International form a global network of specific knowledge centres concerning fire protection and high temperature insulation, as well as developing materials and constructions that are fire and temperature resistant.

Promat International is part of another worldwide group: Etex. Specialising in building materials, the Etex group offers a backbone structure of knowledge, production and research and development. Etex has over 12,500 employees and a presence in more than 41 countries.