Financial Times

Lanka’s new Accreditation Board checking credential of many agencies

By Quintus Perera
As a result of globalization, large quantities of products and services move from one country to another. Outsourcing of products and services is also on the increase amongst countries. One of the issues in this new trade scenario is the stringent quality standards that developing countries must ensure when exporting to the richer countries.

The needs and expectations of the consumers and users are identified and translated into the form of specific requirements. That’s how standards and technical regulations for products, processes, production methods and systems adopted at international and national levels form the basis for quality assurance of products and services offered both for internal and external trade.

Assessment of conformity with technical regulations and standards may take a variety of forms. These include sampling, testing, inspection, certification, calibration, and other supporting activities.

These conformity assessment activities may involve regulatory functions, non-regulatory (voluntary) activities or support for business operations, and may be undertaken by organizations in the public or private sector.

In Sri Lanka too it has become important to maintain strict quality standards as the country is notorious for adulteration and on the pretext of high quality products, exporting sub-standard products often hoodwinking the authorities which then seriously affect the country’s export market.

The task of ensuring quality standards has been entrusted for long to the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) and later several other institutions like the National Engineering Research and Development Centre (NERD) and Industrial Technology Institute (ITI). There are also agents of several foreign accreditation institutions operating in the country.

On some occasions some of the work and certification of these private accreditation agencies appear to be questionable and needed probing. It is said that some of these agencies would issue quality assurance certificates over the counter after a “certain payment.”

To streamline accreditation procedures, the government passed legislation last November to set up the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (SLAB) with the law coming into operation by January. Sanath P Mendis who has worked at the SLSI for 35 years and ended up as the Director General has been appointed as the first Director/CEO of the SLAB.

Its functions are to grant accreditation to laboratories, certification bodies, inspection bodies; encourage and promote accreditation; facilitate international co-operation in accreditation and gain international recognition and conclude mutual recognition arrangements. The Sunday Times FT recently met Mr Mendis to discuss developments in this field.

What are the systems that are available (for standards/testing)?
There are a very few laboratories which are accredited and even these labs have got their accreditation from European bodies. It would be very expensive to obtain such accreditation but the demand is very high. We are trying to get many labs accredited so that businessmen can get their products tested here at a reasonable cost.

How does the present system work?
With regard to ISO 9000 certification there are a number of bodies which has got accreditation such as SLSI. There are other bodies which have been accredited in Europe. Certification given by some of these bodies which are operating here are apparently questionable as to whether they would be internationally acceptable. Though I do not know whether any of those accredited certification has been rejected by any foreign buyers, it appears that some of these approvals are not acceptable to foreign buyers. It is on the level of acceptance of the foreign buyers that we have to be concerned.

What is the role of the SLSI?
The SLSI is the standards body. It lays down the standards for products, processes and systems. The government needs to intervene to ensure the safety of products. The SLSI in addition to laying down standards, also issues certification.

What is the additional work that SLAB will handle over and above the tasks of SLSI or would there is a duplication of duties?
The SLAB tasks are different. The Accreditation Board is meant to infuse more confidence to buyers and the general public in laboratories including SLSI, ITI laboratories and private sector laboratories and certification.

How competent is the SLAB to undertake the present task?
It is like this. Competent and well trained personnel would be entrusted the work.
The SLAB would accredit various bodies that also have standards, like we accredit medical laboratories on ISO Standards. There would be lot of technically competent people. The SLAB would have a direct link with the Swedish Accreditation Council (SEEDAC) and it would provide assistance to SLAB.

If the agents of the foreign accreditation bodies say that they are properly authorized to carry out tests on behalf of their principals, when SLAB tries to intervene, would it not be undermining the foreign agency’s credibility?
It is a big question and in a way ‘yes’. But if the local agency is directly under the overseas firm they would be working in consultation with the accreditation bodies.

It is well known that although they have got the accreditation, in actual fact they may not be directly under the surveillance of the European Accreditation Body but the authorization comes from a second country like Malaysia or Thailand.

There are well established places, but there are also so many other places who use the logo of a foreign accreditation body and just issue certificates.
The SLAB has already written to some of the reputed accreditation bodies in the United Kingdom to clarify the status of some of these agents operating here. Surely they would not like using their accreditation and not doing the correct thing here.

This is a serious matter and the issues are discussed at international level. All these accreditation bodies are members of the International Accreditation Forum. If you take China, India or Bangladesh for example, you can buy accreditation certificates. These have to be probed and countered. Indians would come here over the weekend and they would be issuing accreditation certificates over the counter for a fee.

What would happen to small entrepreneurs with small export businesses? Would these tests be too costly?
Medical laboratories testing would be a case in issue. If you ask each laboratory to pay Rs 50,000 per annum they will have to jack up the rates to the consumer or ultimately close shop.

When SLAB establishes and get the authorization then the local labs could issue the accreditation certificates at a very low cost.
There are 700 medical laboratories in the country. We would have a phased programme of certification for these labs.

No certifying body so far for ISO 22000 certificates
The ISO Forum of SLAQ (Sri Lanka Association for Quality) said last week that no international accreditation has so far been issued to any certification body to grant ISO 22000:2005 certificates.

SLAQ President Dr. Srilal de Silva said said many certification bodies are working with accreditation boards to receive accreditation and some have completed only the ‘office audit’, whereas some have progressed and completed ‘witness audit’ by the accreditation boards after successfully completing the ‘office audit’.

Of these certification bodies who were approved to proceed for ‘witness audits’ very few are recommended for accreditation after the witness audits whereas the others have to either complete ‘witness audits’ or face re-audits before considering for accreditation. “During witness audits the competency of the auditors are closely monitored by the auditors of the accreditation boards. These will include academic qualifications, experience and knowledge on the food industry and the auditing ability. Once official approval is granted these certification bodies who are already recommended for accreditation will be able to issue accredited ISO 22000 certificates in accordance with the procedures required in the ISO Guide 62,” the statement said.

The ISO FORUM issued the statement after recent claims of ISO 22000 certification. It said certification granted on ISO 22000:2005 up-to-now are all non-accredited and will not carry any international recognition.
The only internationally accreditation based on ISO standards at present will be on ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 15161: 2001 and this accreditation is issued by UKAS.

Back to Business