Abu Dhabi, 19 Oct 04 (WAM) -- The Emirates Standardization and MetrologyAuthority (ESMA) will authorize twelve conformity assessment bodies inthe UAE, including a number of laboratories and international companiesto grant ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 certificates.
?The Emirates National Accreditation System (ENAS) aims to help localand foreign companies to obtain international standard certification andremove technical hurdles that hinder international trade,? said WaleedAl Mansouri, General Manager of ESMA. ?These standards are universallyrecognized and will encourage international trading partners to deal withUAE companies,? he added.
The procedures for accreditation are divided into four main stages. Companiesmust firstly fill in the application forms, attach documents detailingtheir quality procedures, make cost assessments and agree on detailedprocedures. The second is the assessment stage, and this includes assessmentof the documents and field visits by a team of national and internationalexperts. In the third stage, the technical accreditation committees including localand federal government parties from both private sectors and the academiawill review the assessment reports. The final stage is periodical assessmentand this includes regular visits to the accredited parties to ensure theycontinue to meet all the requirements. These committees are authorizedto grant five-year accreditation. Al Mansouri said that the accreditation process is based on a number ofinternational criteria and standards set up by the International Organizationfor Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission. He confirmed that the accreditation is an official acknowledgement bythe ESMA of the adequacy of conformity assessment parties. This servesto minimize technical hurdles and save time and expenses on unnecessarytests and exams. He noted that the system reflects the UAE?s leading role in world trade,as well as ensures that accredited parties meet international needs. ENAS was luanched earlier this year under the patronage of the UAE governmentand aims to consolidate the role of ESMA in developing and promoting thecompetitive ability of national products in addition to developing standardsof quality in the country. To be an accreditation body, the applicants must meet a number of internationalstandards. The laboratories should have ISO/IEC 17025:1999(general requirementsfor the competence of testing and calibration laboratories). Parties thatgrant quality management system accreditations must have ISO/IEC 62: 1996(general requirements for bodies operating assessment and certification/registrationof quality systems). The parties granting products certificates need tohave ISO/IEC 65:1996 (general requirements for bodies operating productcertification systems), and bodies granting the environment managementcertification need to have the ISO/IEC 66:1999 (general requirements forbodies operating assessment and certification/registration of environmentalmanagement systems).
