Responsibilities of International Accreditation Service, and Conformity Assessment Bodies.

Responsibilities of International Accreditation Service (IAS)

Accreditation Documents: A certificate of accreditation and scope of accreditation document shall be issued and maintained current for each accredited laboratory upon satisfactory completion of the accreditation requirements. For each accredited laboratory, the scope of accreditation shall be posted on the IAS website. Accreditation actions will also be noted on the IAS website.

Fee Modifications: Any modifications to the fees must be reviewed and approved by the IAS president or his/her designee.

Proprietary Data: Data in any accreditation file or application are considered proprietary to the applicant. The data may be disclosed by IAS only upon the written consent of the applicant or pursuant to subpoena issued by a court or other governmental agency of competent jurisdiction. Proprietary data may also be disclosed to a staff member of IAS or an authorized representative of IAS having a legitimate interest therein; any duly identified representative of any laboratory, or like person or organization who initially prepared the data, or a duly authorized representative thereof stated to be an employee or principal thereof having a legitimate interest therein. Governmental regulatory bodies may be granted access in the interest of public safety or preservation of property as it relates to enforcement of laws/regulations upon receipt of an official written request.

Access to Proprietary Data: From time to time, IAS records and files are audited by national and international bodies on a random basis to establish conformance with international accreditation and conformity assessment standards. It is understood that, by executing an accreditation application, laboratories grant IAS the authority to allow such access.

Appeal to Change of Assessment Team: IAS will provide an opportunity to the applicant or accredited laboratory to appeal against an assessor or assessment team assigned to assess the laboratory. This appeal must be requested in writing with the reasons identified. IAS, in mutual agreement with the laboratory, may arrange to assign a different assessor or assessment team for the scheduled assessment.

Responsibilities of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs)

Changes to CAB’s Accreditation Status: CABs accredited by IAS shall notify in writing within a stipulated period as listed in the IAS Accreditation Criteria and Rules of Procedure. Such notifications include, but not limited to:

1. Change in CAB’s name.
2. Change in CAB’s ownership.
3. Change in CAB’s address.
4. Changes in facilities, equipment, policies, or procedures that affect the CAB’s accreditation.
5. Changes in principal officers or key supervisory personnel.
6. Change in status, including but not limited to cancellation, revocation, suspension or withdrawal of other accreditations maintained by the CAB.

The CAB shall notify IAS immediately without undue delay of its inability to comply with IAS accreditation requirements.