§5411a Certification and Accreditation

Summary

People who write rules for certifying fastener-quality manufacturing systems, for approving the organizations that accredit those certifiers, or for accrediting testing laboratories can ask the Director to approve their documents for federal use. The Director must decide on each request within 180 days and must approve the document if it is at least as strict and reliable as the matching international guide: ISO/IEC Guide 62 for certifying systems, Guide 61 for accrediting certification bodies, Guide 25 for lab accreditation, and Guide 58 for bodies that accredit labs. The Director must also run a National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program that meets Guide 58 (or an approved equivalent), including updates. Accreditation organizations must tell the Director they meet Guide 61 when accrediting certifiers or Guide 58 when accrediting labs. That telling is a signed self-declaration, needs no extra paperwork, and stays in effect until the organization withdraws it.