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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FROM
VERIFICATION UNITS / INSPECTION BODIES
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 7.4.2 TOPIC Report inspection results
Can a verification unit graphically report declarations of conformity or verification results, for example by means of different types of smileys?
Yes, as long as the meaning is
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 7.1.5 TOPIC Implementation of a contract
Does a verification unit that only provide its verification services to clients within the same legal entity need to implement a contract or a work order control system?
Yes. The requirements related
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 8.6.5 TOPIC Carrying out internal audits
How can a very small verification unit, for example a one-person UV, meet the requirement of conducting internal audits without auditing its own work?
ILAC P15 indicates that
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 8.5.1 TOPIC Conducting management reviews
How can a very small verification unit, for example a one-person UV, meet the requirement for conducting management reviews?
The standard does not requi
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 6.1.8 TOPIC Monitoring of inspectors and personnel involved in inspection activities
How can a very small verification unit, for example a one-person UV, meet the requirement of supervising verifiers and other personnel involved in verification activities?
The standard does not require supervisio
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 7.1.2 TOPIC Documentation of instructions on planning inspection, sampling and techniques of Inspection.
Clause 7.1.2 requires the verification unit to have "adequate verification planning instructions, sampling and verification techniques". What is the meaning of “verification planning, sampling and verification techniques”?
First, the Standard does not
RULE 17020 CLAUSES 8.1.3 | 8.2.4 TOPIC Management System Documentation
What is the importance of the quality manual and there are fixed elements that it is mandatory to cover in it? Taking into account that the ISO 9001: 2015 standard no longer requires its existence, it means that if a UV uses Option B it is not mandatory to have a quality manual, while a UV that uses Option A must have a quality manual, or is it voluntary in both c
While some clauses in ISO / IEC 17020 refer to "documented procedures", other clauses refer to "established procedures" or simply "procedures". What is the difference between "documented procedures", "established procedures" and "procedures"?
When ISO / IEC 17020 requires a 'documented (or
RULE 17020 CLAUSES 6.3 | 6.3.2 TOPIC Subcontracting
If the verification unit uses test results from a laboratory within its report, is it considered to be outsourcing?
It is the responsibility of
What if the laboratory and the verification unit are different departments that carry out different activities within the same organization?
Yes. ISO /
Does it matter if the two departments are implementing the same (integrated) management system or no
Does it matter if the required tests / analyzes influence the verification results or the interpretation of the results, or are they only tests required by the customer?
For w
If the verification unit subcontracts some tests to a laboratory, but in unforeseen circumstances, this laboratory is obliged to subcontract a part of these required tests to another laboratory, is it the responsibility of the verification unit to investigate the competence of its subcontractor's subcontractor or no?
The ISO / IE
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 5.1.4 TOPIC Assignment of responsibilities
"Responsibility can be assumed by the State in accordance with national laws or by the organization of which the inspection body is a part."
Does this mean that a verification unit is considered to satisfy this requirement simply by being a government verification unit without having an actual provision (reserves / insurance), or even without a statement of commitment from the state to the work of the inspection body? Or without a clause in a law specifying rules concerning government liability?
If a verification unit states that the s
If the verification unit is part of an organization, can it be assumed that the organization is responsible for the responsibilities of the verification unit or does there have to be a statement of commitment from the organization and a clear provision (with evidence) to cover the responsibilities of the UV?
It cannot be assumed that liabi
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 4.1.3 TOPIC Risk identification
While the verification unit demonstrates that it has eliminated and minimized all identified risks to fairness, it is difficult to determine whether all risks have been identified. In particular, the risks associated with any type of pressure exerted on the verifier (financial, commercial, administrative, moral or other). How far must the accreditation body go to ensure that the requirement is met?
Clause 4.1.3 requires the ver
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 4.2 TOPIC Confidentiality
Can the publicly available terms and conditions of the verification unit, which contain its policy and / or a statement of its commitment to the protection of customer information, be considered a legally enforceable commitment to confidentiality? Consequently, can the verification unit client use these terms and conditions as legal evidence before the responsible authority when the verification unit discloses confidential information about the client?
In other words, are those published terms and conditions as strong as the contractual agreement referenced in the above-mentioned clause?
It is the responsibility of the verification unit to understand the prevailing legal system and dem
RULE 17011 CLAUSE 4.6.3 TOPIC Conformity assessment schemes
Can verification units accredited according to ISO / IEC 17020 (Type A) be qualified to assess compliance with the regulatory requirements of automotive service stations and issue certificates of compliance / conformity? Also, can bodies accredited under ISO / IEC 17065 also provide this service?
If the accredited scope of the conformity assessment body
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 4.1.6 TOPIC Assignment of independence categories /
Maintain independence
Can more than one type of independence be assigned simultaneously to a verification unit? For example, can a verification unit provide elevator verification services as type C and indoor air verification services as type A?
Yes. Clause 4.1.6 of ISO / IEC 17020
Clause 4.1.6 uses the expression "separate and identifiable part of an organization involved in certain activities" to describe type B independence verification units and the expression "identifiable but not necessarily separate part of an organization involved in certain activities" to describe independence type verification units C. What is the difference between being an identifiable party and being a separate party within an organization? How can this be proven or recognized?
For a verification unit to demonstrate tha
A government verification unit that verifies imported products and locally manufactured products at the request of customers is also involved in quality assurance of locally manufactured products. Can this verification unit be classified as A or C according to ISO / IEC 17020: 2012?
The criteria for Type A ind
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 6.2.8 TOPIC Calibration of reference standards
A verification unit applying for accreditation according to ISO / IEC 17020 uses reference standards for verifications and calibration of measurement equipment used in the field to carry out its verification activities. It has a non-accredited internal calibration department that provides the necessary calibration services for reference standards. Is internal calibration of reference standards allowed or not?
The requirement of the standard is that the r
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 6.3.3 TOPIC Taking responsibility for determining conformity
Sometimes it happens that a verification unit claims that it is not responsible for some of the results included in a verification report, as it is derived from outsourced analysis (testing) that is not covered by the accredited scope. Does the verification unit have the right to include a disclaimer stating that it is not responsible for the result of these tests / analyzes? Does it matter if the activity is covered by the accredited scope or if it is a verification activity or not?
The verification unit m
Is there a significant difference between the terms "liability" and "legal liability" used in ISO / IEC 17020?
According to claus
RULE 17020 CLAUSE 8.2.1 TOPIC Specify policies / Objectives
Verification unit policies are formulated in different ways, sometimes in general and sometimes specifically explaining how UVs deal with particular situations or requirements. Should the policies referenced in the standard be general (for example, our policy is to provide our clients with impartial services) or should they be detailed policies that describe how the UV treats the requirements of the standard (for example, policies to deal with) With complaints, equipment maintenance, equipment calibration or outsourcing)?
The term "policy" is used with the defi
Some verification units define their objectives as those of the parent company, without defining in detail how they apply to verification activities. Are such objectives appropriate for meeting the requirements of the standard?
When the sta
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