ES Digital Global Assessment Guide - Flipbook - Page 16
GLOBAL MARKETPLACE
Recent trends show the value and importance of accreditation
expanding internationally as more countries require
accreditations of conformity assessment bodies. However, some
regions have issues with the quality of the product certification
offered by available certification bodies. As an example, the
Oceania region has had issues relative to this topic and is taking
steps to alleviate them.
Most countries have within them organizations that accredit
conformity assessment bodies. There are a variety of accredited
conformity assessment bodies serving such countries. However,
AHJs continue to search for a more thorough, higher quality
evaluation report.
Many conformity assessment bodies have not been in the
building product certification industry for very long and therefore
do not have the experience of an organization such as ICCES, with a longstanding history of nearly 100 years. Moreover,
the details included in the certification documents from other
entities lack information, which ICC-ES evaluation reports
include, that AHJs need relevant to installation, usage and the
like for building products.
Another challenge some regions face is the lack of thoroughly
vetted criteria for innovative products, such as those provided
by ICC-ES Acceptance Criteria or EOTA European Assessment
Documents (EADs).
Such authorities want to sleep well at night knowing that they
have been approving products for installation that have met the
applicable requirements. Conformity assessment for building
products matter because at the end of the day, human lives
are at stake. As extensively described in this document, there
are many aspects to the quality of the products approved for
installation:
1. Accreditation and the accreditation scheme
2. Certification and the certification scheme
3. Code, standards and normative requirements used
4. Testing laboratory, the quality of the such testing labs
5. Inspection agency conducting periodic surveillance.
6. Authority having jurisdiction and their training
7. The five common elements of ISO/CASCO standards at
all levels namely: Impartiality, Confidentiality, Appeals and
Complaints, Competence and Management Systems.
At least one of these aspects is missing in a society that yearns
for a system that yields the approval and installation of safe
products. This is where the ICC family of solutions can be the
answer to a very complicated global challenge.
BUILDING SAFETY, BUILDING CONFIDENCE WORLDWIDE
www.iccsafe.org | page 17