Oxebridge Quality Resources - ISO 9001 and AS9100 Implementation

Milwaukee WI — A mass email by the American Society for Quality has been released into the wild, as a promotional effort to sell books on the upcoming amendment to ISO 9001.

The email includes a breathless exclamation that “The latest version of ISO 9001 is almost here!” and then includes is subtle, but misleading, claim that “you will have 24 months from the date of release to certify to the new revision.” The email goes on to “Get the revised version and get a head start!” (In both cases, bold face and exclamations are in the original text.)

The email then links to an ASQ online store page which includes much of the same language (see image at right). This page offers two books for sale, the Pocket Guide to ISO 9001:2008 by Dennis Arter and J.P. Russel, and ISO 9001:2008 Audits Made Easy by Ann Phillips. Arter and Russel are both active members in the US TAG to TC 176, the American delegation which helps author the ISO 9001 standard.

The deception by ASQ is revealed as one learns more about the actual nature of ISO 9001:2008 itself. Not a “revision” but officially released by ISO as an “amendment” the standard includes no new requirements at all, and companies currently certified to ISO 9001:2000 will have to do absolutely nothing to comply with the new version.

According to an official IAF-ISO Joint Communique, “ISO [recognizes] that ISO 9001:2008 introduces no new requirements. ISO 9001:2008 only introduces clarifications to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000….”

The communique goes on to note that, “Certification of conformity to ISO 9001:2008 …  after a routine surveillance or recertification audit against ISO 9001:2008. One year after publication of ISO 9001:2008 all accredited certifications issued (new certifications or recertifications) shall be to ISO 9001:2008.”

In short, any company currently certified to ISO 9001:2000 will be automatically converted to ISO 9001:2008 during normal surveillance.Because the new standard “contains no new requirements” there will be no need fo the company to do anything to comply with it.

ASQ’s erroneous usage of the words “revised” and “new revision” are intentional mischaracterizations of the new standard’s content, arguably used merely to sell its books. That the books in question are authored by some of the members that actually write the standard further aggrieves. Finally, ASQ’s exclamatory statements that “you will have 24 months from the date of release to certify to the new revision” clearly implies that some work is required by the company to implement the new standard, contrary to the official information being released by ISO and other bodies.

Lincoln NB — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) has contracted with Oxebridge Quality Resources to provide implementation of an ISO 17025:2005 quality management system. The MwRSF’s mission is to “improve highway safety by making the roadside less hazardous for motorists.” through the development of crash test roadside hardware, conducting safety performance evaluations of existing roadside features, and performing computer simulation modeling of vehicle impacts with roadside hardware.

ISO 17025 is the international standard applicable to test and calibration laboratories. For MwRSF, this means their testing activities will become compliant to an international standard which ensures the adequacy and accuracy of test results, through robust management system controls, proficiency testing and detailed uncertainty measurement calculations.

Oxebridge offers ISO 17025 Implementation Services based largely on the requirements set forth by the  American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), an accrediting body which issues ISO 17025 accreditations to calibration and test laboratories. Under ISO 17025 rules, accrediting bodies can issue interpretations which go beyond the text of ISO 17025 itself, so working with a consulting firm that understands the specific requirements of the accrediting body is important. However, Oxebridge implements ISO 17025 for clients regardless of the accrediting body they choose.

Unlike other Oxebridge programs, ISO 17025 is not done in a “rapid” fashion, as there are certain requirements which require the involvement of third parties, and other “built in holds” which prevent 40-day implementations. Therefore, an exact date for the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility’s final accreditation to ISO 17025 cannot yet be determined.

For more on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, visit http://engineering.unl.edu/specialty-units/mwrsf/.

For more on A2LA, visit www.A2LA.org.

For information on Oxebridge’s ISO 17025 Implementation Services for testing and calibration labs, click here.