§5411a Certification and Accreditation

Summary

People who write guidance or rules for certifying manufacturers, approving accreditation bodies, or accrediting labs can ask the Director to approve their documents for official use. The Director must decide within 180 days. Approval is required if the document is at least as strict and reliable as the listed ISO/IEC Guides: Guide 62 for certifying manufacturing systems, Guide 61 for accrediting bodies that approve those certifiers, Guide 25 for accrediting laboratories, and Guide 58 for accrediting bodies that approve laboratories. The Director must also run a National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program that meets Guide 58 (or another Director-approved document), including later updates. Accreditation bodies must tell the Director they meet the applicable Guide (Guide 61 for bodies accrediting fastener-quality certifiers, Guide 58 for bodies accrediting labs), including later updates. That statement is a signed self-declaration and needs no extra paperwork. The declaration stays in effect until the accreditation body withdraws it.