How CASCO works

ISO/CASCO, Committee on conformity assessment, carries out its work through a broad-based system of standing groups, ad hoc working groups, workshops and publications. It meets as a full committee once a year to consider work in progress and whether it is meeting its objectives.

Staying in touch with the market

The important standing groups are the:

• Standing Group on Strategic Planning (SGSP), which reviews and updates CASCO's long-range strategies every three years



• Industry Advisory Network, which channels industry views on subjects of mutual interest to CASCO on an informal basis,



• Market Feedback Panel, which monitors feedback on published CASCO documents and the periodical need for their review, or for new documents.



• Communication Group, which works to improve CASCO's communication with the global conformity assessment community.

Another advisory group acts as the constant interface between conformity assessment documents produced by CASCO and those product, process or service standards developed in ISO technical committees that include aspects of conformity assessment.

Ongoing projects

At any one time, several ad hoc working groups are addressing specific aspects of conformity assessment to ensure that CASCO's output remains relevant to and useful for the market. Current projects comprise:

• A code of good practice for conformity assessment
  
  
• Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) and its supporting documentation



• Common elements in CASCO Standards



• A single accreditation standard



• A common standard for management systems certification



• A standard for the certification of persons



• Revision of a standard for testing/calibration laboratories



• A standard for peer assessment



• Information on accepted best practice for establishing Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRA's)



• A standard for use of marks of conformity



• Further guidance on product certification



• Revision of guidance on utilization of supplier's quality system in third party product certification



• Revision of conformity assessment vocabulary and definitions

Workshops

CASCO periodically organizes workshops to exchange views among a broad range of stakeholders and for training purposes. The most recent examples are:

• Joint CASCO/DEVCO Workshop - Product and management system certification in developing countries and countries in transition (2003)



• Joint CASCO/DEVCO Workshop - Facilitating recognition of conformity assessment activities in the 21st Century (2000)
  
  
• ISO Workshop on Mutual Recognition Agreements (1998)

Last modified 2004-06-19