I don’t pay too much attention to the weird world of IEC standards, and maybe I should. Apparently, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has a cabal of its own called the IECEE, which is a mini-version of the IAF accreditation scheme but for electrical certifications. Says their website:
IECEE, the IEC System for Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components, is a multilateral certification system based on IEC International Standards. Its Members use the principle of mutual recognition (reciprocal acceptance) of test results to obtain certification or approval at national levels around the world.
The IECEE Schemes address the safety, quality, efficiency and overall performance of components, devices and equipment for homes, offices, workshops, health facilities among others. In all, IECEE covers 23 categories of electrical and electronic equipment and testing services.
Sure, okay. But recently a guy from A2LA Workplace Training (totally not related to A2LA, lol) posted this, and it immediately raised my bullshit detector:
In June of 2023, the IECEE determined that internal calibrations must be accredited or performed by an accredited service provider. Statements and claims of metrological traceability (e.g., NIST traceable), alone are no longer sufficient and any organization performing internal calibrations must be accredited for those calibrations to meet IECEE requirements.
I figured there was no way that was true, and the post itself didn’t actually link to any article. But a Google search later found the article, and apparently, it’s a real thing. From that article:
The primary reason for this decision was due to many organizations not:
- using validated methods,
- evaluating measurement uncertainty, or
- considering the impact of measurement uncertainty on conformance (pass/fail) decisions.
Existing IECEE recognized labs must become accredited by the end of 2026, and new applicants are required to be accredited beginning in 2024.
Hmm. So, who are the members of IECEE who made this decision? Fortunately, they have a handy list on their website, and you would not be surprised to find out that IECEE is comprised of the very same accreditation bodies that will rake in a windfall on selling the accreditations they just declared mandatory.
Once again, at a per-nation level, this is probably entirely illegal. In the US, for example, it would run afoul of antitrust laws like the Sherman Act. But the IECEE is an international body, and its members are from all over the globe. So there’s no way to sue them since there’s no way to determine what court to file the suit. Or even what country you’d file it in.
And, like ISO, the IEC and its IECEE committee are organized out of Switzerland, the place where mafia dons and human traffickers keep all their money. Because Switzerland is a corrupt hellscape with enough snow and rich white people to make it look like a ski resort.
What a shitshow.
Christopher Paris is the founder and VP Operations of Oxebridge. He has over 35 years’ experience implementing ISO 9001 and AS9100 systems, and helps establish certification and accreditation bodies with the ISO 17000 series. He is a vocal advocate for the development and use of standards from the point of view of actual users. He is the writer and artist of THE AUDITOR comic strip, and is currently writing the DR. CUBA pulp novel series. Visit www.drcuba.world
