Technical Infrastructure and Competency in Accreditation

by Roslan Alias

Department of Standards Malaysia

Introduction

The Department of Standards Malaysia (DSM), the National Standards Body (NSB) as well as the National Accreditation Body (NAB) was officially launched on 28 August 1996. DSM was established following the corporation of the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM), to undertake statutory roles in national standardisation formerly carried out by the Institute. In Addition, DSM is also entrusted with the responsibilities of accreditation, which was previously undertaken by the Malaysian Accreditation Council (MAC). The Department of Standards Malaysia is the sole national accreditation body in the country to assess, against International agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing and calibration services.  In performing duties and functions, DSM is governed by the by the Standards of Malaysia Act 1996 (Act 549).

Mission

The mission of DSM is to facilitate Malaysian goods and services to be globally competitive and renowned through standards and accreditation. 

Objectives

·         provide accreditation services to certification bodies and  testing laboratory/organisations

·         identify and develop other accreditation schemes needed by the country

·         maintain liaison with similar bodies overseas in the advancement of the objectives of accreditation

·         develop and establish mutual recognition arrangements with other national and regional accreditation bodies

Accreditation

As the national accreditation body, DSM gives official recognition to organisations with technical capabilities that carry out evaluations activities, conformity assessment such as the certification/ registration of quality management system (ISO 9000), environmental management system certification (ISO 14000), product certification and laboratory accreditation (testing and calibration). DSM accreditation services and published programs are open to and accessible to any applicant. Accreditation system is administered and governed by established rules of procedures based on provisions of international criteria and requirements. Accreditation by DSM means the conformity assessment bodies i.e. testing and calibration laboratories and certification bodies have been assessed against internationally recognised standards to demonstrate their competence, impartiality and performance capability.

It is the ability to distinguish between a proven, competent that ensures that the selection of a laboratory and certification body is an informed choice and not a gamble. DSM accreditation means the conformity assessment body can show to its customer that it has been successful at meeting the requirements of international standards.

DSM assures the credibility of conformity assessment certificates issued by its accredited conformity assessment organisations through multilateral recognition agreements (MRA), will facilitate trade and enhance competitiveness of Malaysian goods and services in the global market. 

DSM offers two accreditation schemes namely the Laboratory Accreditation Scheme of Malaysia (SAMM) and Accreditation of Certification Bodies (ACB).

Accreditation of Certification Bodies Scheme (ACB)

The Scheme of Accreditation of Certification Bodies (ACB) is a voluntary scheme open to any certification body, government or private that has demonstrated compliance with the criteria and requirements of DSM, which are in line with international standards and guides. Currently DSM only accredits ISO 9000 quality system certification and ISO 14000 Environment Management System.

Recognitions have been achieved for the accreditation of certification bodies certifying quality systems to ISO 9000 through:

-      PAC MRA - Pacific Accreditation Co-operation Multilateral Recognition Agreement

-      IAF-MRA - International Accreditation Forum Multilateral Recognition Agreement

Two organisations have been accredited by DSM under the ACB scheme namely SIRIM QAS Sdn Bhd and AOQC Moody (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.

The total number of ISO 9000 certified Companies in Malaysia is about 2,100 and for ISO 14000, it is around 175 companies.

Laboratory Accreditation Scheme of Malaysia (SAMM)

SAMM scheme is a unified national laboratory accreditation program and is multi-disciplinary in its scope of accreditation. Laboratory accreditation under SAMM provides formal recognition to competent laboratories, thus providing a ready means for customers to identify and select reliable testing, measurement and calibration services.  The SAMM scheme is a voluntary scheme open to any testing and calibration services.

Accreditation of testing laboratories is offered for the following fields: Chemicals, Biological, Electrical, Fire and Mechanical. In the field of calibration, accreditation is offered for Heat and Temperature, Mechanical, Mass and Force, Electrical, Flow and Pressure, and Length and Dimension Measurements.

To maintain recognition, laboratories are re-evaluated periodically by DSM to ensure their continued compliance with requirements, and to check that their standard of operation is being maintained.  SAMM laboratories may also be required to participate in relevant proficiency testing, as a further demonstration of their technical competence.

Until August 2002, 217 laboratories have been accredited. The most number of accreditation is in the Chemical Testing scope where 94 laboratories are accredited. Details are as shown in Table 1. 

  Table 1: Breakdown of Accredited Laboratories According to fields (August   2002)

Accredited laboratories usually issue test or calibration reports bearing the DSM Mark as an indication of their accreditation.  Clients are encouraged to check with the laboratory as to what specific tests or measurements they are accredited for, and for what ranges or uncertainties.  This information is specified in the laboratory’s scope of accreditation, issued by DSM.  The description in the scope of accreditation also has advantages for the customers of laboratories in enabling them to find the appropriate laboratory or testing service.