Brief description of ongoing CASCO Projects

• A code of good practice for conformity assessment

Conformity assessment practices have changed substantially since ISO/IEC published its first code of good practice, Guide 60, in 1994. ISO/CASCO Working Group 22 is therefore continuing support of WTO/TBT activities by revising Guide 60 to continue to ensure maximum openness, transparency, order, coherence and effectiveness in conformity assessment practices world wide.

• Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) and its supporting documentation

ISO/CASCO Working Group 24 is revising ISO/IEC Guide 22, General criteria for supplier's declaration of conformity, turning it into an International Standard ISO/IEC 17050, and developing a new standard, ISO/IEC 17049, General requirements for supporting documentation for supplier's declaration of conformity, to further facilitate, strengthen and promote confidence in SDoC.

• Common elements in CASCO standards

It is important to ensure that ISO/IEC normative documents on conformity assessment, namely standards devekoped by CASCO, are aligned to ensure that common elements in their texts, such as terms, definitions and management system requirements, have equivalent contents. ISO/CASCO Working Group 23 is identifying such common elements.

• A single accreditation standard

ISO/CASCO Working Group 18 is developing a single accreditation standard to combine the requirements for accreditation of laboratory, inspection and certification bodies on the basis of ISO/IEC Guides 58 and 61 and of ISO/IEC TR 17010. This standard will be published as ISO/IEC 17011, General requirements for bodies providing assessment and accreditation 1423 .

• A common standard for management system certification

ISO/CASCO Working Group 21 is developing a single management system standard, based on ISO /IEC Guides 62 and 66, that would support the current trend towards multi-field certification, i.e. including an organization's quality and environmental management systems in the same certification process. This standard will be published as ISO/IEC 17021, General requirements for bodies operating assessment and certification/registration of management systems.

• A standard for the certification of persons

ISO/CASCO Working Group 17 is developing ISO/IEC 17024, General requirements for bodies operating certification schemes for persons.

• Revision of a standard for testing/calibration laboratories

ISO/IEC 17025, General requirements for the competence of calibration and testing laboratories, was published in 1999 taking into account the quality management requirements specified in ISO 9001 and 9002:1994. Subsequently, ISO 9001:2000 was published. In order to align ISO/IEC 17025:1999 with ISO 9001:2000, ISO/CASCO Working Group 25 is revising ISO/IEC 17025.

• A standard for peer assessment

Peer assessment (or peer evaluation or peer review) is a process in which members of a group of conformity assessment bodies, including accreditation bodies, build mutual confidence in the reliability of the results of their work by evaluating each other's activity. ISO/CASCO Working Group 19 is developing ISO/IEC 17040, General requirements for peer assessment of conformity assessment bodies.

• Information on accepted best practices for establishing Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRA)

Another way of building confidence to facilitate the acceptance of conformity assessment results from one country to the next is through mutual recognition agreements (MRA). ISO/CASCO Working Group 11 is preparing ISO/IEC Guide 68, Agreements for the recognition and acceptance of conformity assessment results, to provide information on what seems to be the accepted best practice for establishing MRA among conformity assessment and accreditation bodies.

• A standard for use of marks of conformity

One area of concern for CASCO is the proliferation of marks of conformity. Such questions arise as whether the messages in marks can be understood by all users; how to show whether a mark of conformity attests to the safety of a particular product or its impact on the environment, or its durability and performance; and why some products have many different marks of conformity. ISO/CASCO Working Group 12 is developing ISO/IEC 17030, Marks of conformity and their use, which will provide a basis for better control by conformity assessment bodies.

• Further guidance on product certification

ISO/IEC Guide 65: 1996 sets out the general requirements for third-party product certification bodies but does not provide guidance on the ideal choice of certification system or on how it should be used, by whom and for what purposes. ISO/CASCO Working Group 14 is developi 8 ng ISO/I b09 EC Guide 67, Fundamentals of product certification, which will give guidance on product certification systems and schemes and facilitate their international recognition by identifying the various elements of product certification based on current practices. It will also give additional guidance on implementing ISO/IEC Guide 65.

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

ISO/CASCO developed ISO/IEC Guide 53, An approach to the utilization of a supplier's quality system in third party product certification, in 1988 to provide guidance outlining a general approach whereby certification bodies wishing to do so can develop and apply product certification programmes using elements of supplier's quality system. ISO/CASCO Ad Hoc Group on Revision of ISO/IEC Guide 53 is revising this guide to update and bring its technical content into line with ISO 9001:2000.

• Revision of conformity assessment vocabulary and definitions

It is essential for ISO/CASCO to have the most up-to-date, consistent and agreed vocabulary when developing new ISO/IEC normative documents covering conformity assessment. Working Group 5 is developing the new standard ISO/IEC 17000, Conformity assessment - General vocabulary, which will revise the relevant part of ISO/IEC Guide 2, Standardization and related activities - General vocabulary.

• Revision of guidelines for drafting conformity assessment standards

ISO/CASCO Working Group 20 is revising ISO/IEC Guide 7 as ISO/IEC 17001, Guidance for drafting of standards suitable for use for conformity assessment. This new standard will be more relevant to the work of ISO/IEC technical committees and subcommittees, and better adapted to modern conformity assessment needs.