Fall Newsletter 2020 - web version - Flipbook - Page 1
INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION SERVICE, INC.
NEWSLETTER
FALL 2020
Letter from the President
FEATURING:
» Forensic Labs & Inspection
Agencies Accreditation
From the President’s Desk
It is indeed hard to
believe that it is almost
six months since I have
worked at the IAS office
in Brea, California, which
we hurriedly closeddown in mid-March in
response to the COVID-19 crisis. Even in my
wildest dreams, I never imagined we would all
be talking to each other constantly from an electronic box! It is even more surprising that while
our physical world became confined to a much
smaller space, our professional world expanded
overnight to bring us all together, seemingly
without a hitch in the Wi-Fi! I have now spoken
to hundreds of people globally while sitting in
my home office and conversed with folks who
I previously used to mostly exchange emails. I
am glad to share that our staff, assessors and
the extended family have largely been spared the
virus. We hope and pray that those of you who
are reading this, and your near and dear ones,
are keeping safe and healthy.
Meanwhile, as many experts globally have
pointed-out across most industries, productivity has rapidly increased and the focus and
intensity of work has been surprisingly positive.
Inevitably there are exceptions to this statement,
especially those industries and activities, which
have been negatively impacted by the crisis in
numerous ways. The IAS assessment teams
went into virtual mode immediately and continue
to effectively discharge our obligations under the
MRA/MLA requirements, and serve our far-flung
customers. The global conformity assessment
community has come out with new policies,
guidelines and mechanisms to continue to keep
the assessment process relevant and provide
the needed assurance, while distancing safely.
The phrase, ‘paradigm shift,’ in this instance is
truly relevant.
While many organizations cancelled their annual
meetings and conclaves, IAS has ramped-up its
activity online by holding multiple events such
as: California ELAP Webinars (4 events); Global
www.iasonline.org
» ILAC & IAF Recognitions
Management System Certification Body Technical Conclave; Food Technical Advisory Council;
and 26 training courses delivered to over 750
people, among other activities.
» GORD Labs Expands their
Scope to Fight COVID-19
I am pleased to note the addition of our newest
member to the IAS Board of Directors (BOD),
Samuel (Sam) Palmer, P.E., CBO. Palmer has
served as chairman of the IAS Accreditation
Committee for three years. He was also chairman of the State of Nevada Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors and is a Fellow
of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Palmer has been the assistant director for the Clark
County Department of Building and Fire Prevention in Las Vegas, Nevada, since 2013. The IAS
BOD, under Chairperson Rocco Davis’ leadership,
continues to provide steady and insightful guidance to IAS management and staff.
On a personal note, I was elected to the APAC
(Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation) Executive
Committee for a 3-year term. In addition, IAS
management, staff and assessors, serve on
multiple technical committees in ILAC, IAF and
APAC.
As we move into the final quarter of 2020, we
continue to keep our eyes on the operational
effectiveness of our programs, while maintaining
our financial health. IAS continues to invest in
education, training, IT infrastructure and staff
enhancements to serve our customers more
effectively and rapidly to ensure quality in all
sectors we operate under.
Please do share with us any interesting and helpful information that we can share with our IAS
community. Feel free to drop us a note anytime.
» IAS’ Role in Mars Probe
» Rocco Davis Appointed
to CA Transportation
Commission
» Sam Palmer Appointed to
IAS Board
» Raj Nathan Elected to
APAC Executive Committee
» Building Departments are
Talking about Accreditation
» TAC BDA Meeting
» TAC Food Safety Meeting
» Calibration Program Update
» Identify Fake Certs
» IAS Special Inspection
Agencies Helping to
Protect Clark County
» Assessor Spotlight –
Max Porter
» Upcoming Online
Trainings and Webinars
» Trust but Verify
» Non-destructive testing —
Building code and IAS
AC472
» Utilizing Remote
Assessments as a tool
Stay safe,
Raj Nathan
» World Accreditation Day
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