Quality assurance certification

In addition, a very simple and low cost method can be used to detect surface flaws. This is the use of penetrants that are typically fluorescent dyes. Usually, a three-step procedure is used. The ceramic part is first soaked in a fluorescent dye. Then the part is dried and cleaned in a very controlled manner to remove the dye from smooth surfaces but not from the surface defects. When the part is examined under ultraviolet li t, the surface defects such as cracks and porosity retain the dye and show up brilliantly. This method is used widely for surface inspection of ceramics and is frequently included as part of a quality assurance certification. Penetrants are effective for nonporous ceramics. With open porosity, the penetrant will enter all the pores of the ceramic, giving fluorescence to the whole ceramic piece, thus preventing detection of surface flaws. Not all penetrants are fluorescent dyes. Radioactive krypton can be used as a penetrant. It is retained in cracks or other defects and can be detected by either a Geiger counter or by carefully wrapping the ceramic piece in photographic film. After development of the film, the location of cracks emd pores can be detected. 

In the first half of 2004, the scientific and political discussions had to draw upon data from the second phase of data collection which materialised on a provisional and voluntary basis and did not bear further quality assurance (certifications etc.). 

While these developments within the commercial world are encouraging from the point of view of OHS, their importance should not be overestimated. Much of business is simply not exposed to these pressures. Moreover, scepticism was expressed by some of those I interviewed about whether quality assurance certification, in particular, was simply a cosmetic process, involving a great deal of paperwork but not much substance. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that commercial pressures of the type described above do on occasion generate a focus on safety. 

The use of these techniques is an important element of industrial policy since they contribute to the creation of a business friendly regulatory environment allowing the combination of measures taken for internal organisational reasons and obligations of certification without lowering the level of safety to be achieved. Wlienever possible a choice between product control and quality assurance procedures is offered to manufacturers. 

Internal methods of quality assessment should always be viewed with some level of skepticism because of the potential for bias in their execution and interpretation. For this reason, external methods of quality assessment also play an important role in quality assurance programs. One external method of quality assessment is the certification of a laboratory by a sponsoring agency. Certification is based on the successful analysis of a set of proficiency standards prepared by the sponsoring agency. For example, laboratories involved in environmental analyses may be required to analyze standard samples prepared by the Environmental Protection... 

The assessor should establish what percentages of key tollers do have an ISO 9000 series quality assurance system or other. Check whether the purchasing function has copies of certification including scope of certification. 

This section covers only the tests that are essential on a completed motor, irrespective of the manufacturing procedure and stage quality checks. If ISO 9000 guidelines are assimilated, practised and enforced by a manufacturer so that a customer s trust is obtained, a final pre-despatch inspection by the customer may not be necessary. The customer, having gained confidence in the practices and Quality Assurance Systems of the manufacturer, may issue an authorization to the manufacturer to despatch the material under their own inspection certificate, rather than an inspection by the customer. We discuss below the test requirements procedure and the acceptance norms prescribed by various national and international standards for such machines and adopted by various manufacturers. 

Prior to the publication of ISO 9000, several nations had developed national quality system standards, with many used only in the procurement of military equipment. With the emergence of the NATO Quality Control System standards in 1973, the Quality Panel of the UK Society of Motor Manufacturers set out to develop an equivalent standard for non-military applications. The result was BS 4891, which was published in 1972. In 1974 this was followed by BS 5179 with the title Operation and Evaluation of Quality Assurance Systems. However, BS 5179 was intended only as a guide and it was not until 1979, with the publication of BS 5750, that major purchasers in the UK had a standard that could be invoked in contracts. A certification scheme was eventually established in 1983, following the UK government s white paper on competitiveness ... 

The 1982 White Paper on Standards, Quality and International Competitiveness was concurrent with increasing interest in the techniques of quality assurance and the need for international harmonization of standards and the reciprocal recognition of certification. It is worth noting that the ISO 9000 series of standards on Quality Systems 1987 followed the layout of BS 5750 1979 almost clause by clause. ISO Guide 39 covers the general requirements for inspection bodies. Auditing on behalf of certification bodies is part of the inspecting authorities role. 

Becker DA (1993) Unique quality assurance aspects of INAA for reference material homogeneity and certification. Fresenius J Anal Chem 345 298-301. 

It can be concluded that, in the field of RM certification, NAA represents a major analytical technique contributing significantly to the certification of element contents in environmental and biological RMs, as was also pointed out earlier (Dyb-czynski 1980 1995), and also provides the bulk of the hterature data on NIST SRMs (Gladney et al. 1987,1993). NAA also has a similar position in the field of geological RMs (Roelandts 1991). It possesses unique quality assurance and self-verification aspects (Becker 1993 Byrne 1993 Byrne and Kucera 1997), though these in-built features are rarely exploited in fuU at present. It should be reahzed that the advanta-... 

Byrne AR, and Kucera J (1997) Role of the self-validation principle of NAA in the quality assurance of bioenvironmental studies and in the certification of reference materials. Proc. Int. Symp. Harmonization of Health Related Environmental Measurements Using Nuclear and Isotopic Techniques, Hyderabad, India, pp 223-238. IAEA Vienna. 

Quevauviller Ph, Herzig R. and Muntau H (1996b) Certified reference material of lichen (CRM 482) for the quality control of trace element biomonitoring. Sci Total Environ 187 143-152 Quevauviller Ph, Lachica M., Barahona E, Rauret G, Ure A, Gomez A, and Muntau H (1997) The certification of the EDTA-extractable contents (mass fractions) of Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn and of the DTPA-extractable contents (mass fractions) of Cd and Ni in calcareous soil by the extraction procedures given CRM 600. EUR Report 17555 Quevauviller Ph. Maier EA, and Griepink B, eds. (1995) Quality Assurance for Environmental Analysis. Elsevier. Amsterdam. 

The revised database holds over 23 000 analyte values for 660 measurands and 1670 reference materials produced by 56 different producers, from 22 countries. The database is restricted to natural matrix materials (i.e. made from naturally occurring materials, excluding calibration standards manufactured from pure chemicals). Information has been extracted from the relevant certificates of analysis, information sheets, and other reports provided by the reference material producers. As a general rule, the authors have only included in the compilation reference materials for which a certificate of analysis or similar documentation is on file. Information included in the survey is on values for measurands determined in reference materials, producers, suppliers, the cost of the materials, the unit size supplied, and the recommended minimum weight of material for analysis, if available. The new searchable database has been designed to help analysts to select reference materials for quality assurance purposes that match as closely as possible, with respect to matrix type and concentrations of the measurands of interest and their samples to be analyzed see Table 8.3. 

In the field of RM certification, NAA represents a major analytical technique. It possesses unique quality assurance and self-verification aspects. Not surprisingly, therefore, NAA has been used to certify NIST standard reference materials [470]. By analogy, NAA has also been instrumental in analysing the EC polymer reference materials within the framework of the PERM project [1]. NAA was also used to validate a TXRF procedure for the determination of additives containing Ti, Zn, Br, Cd, Sn, Sb and Pb [56],... 

Quality assurance, inspection and certification of organic foods... 

This Standard is a very general document and does not cover technical aspects. However, analytical laboratories increasingly have selected certification to ISO 9001 to cover the broader aspects of their activities. The earlier versions of this Standard had the term quality assurance in the title but this has now been removed. The reason is that the current standard requires more than quality assurance of the service. Enhancement of customer satisfaction is also expected, along with evidence of continuous improvement. In Figure 2.2, this is covered in the box dealing with evaluating the results. 

Country Plants with quality assurance Plants with quality sign or certificate... 

Quality assurance includes all the quality controls, the generation of expectations (acceptance limits) from the quality controls, plus a great number of other activities, such as (1) analyst training and certification (2) data review and evaluation (3) preparation of final reports of analysis (4) information given to clients about tests that are needed to fulfill regulatory requirements (5) use of the... 

B97001 Manual for the Certification of Laboratories Analyzing Drinking Water Criteria and Procedures Quality Assurance [Fourth Edition] 600878008 Manual for the Interim Certification of Laboratories Involved in... 

Sampling is just the beginning of the analytical process. On the way from sampling to the test report a lot of different requirements for high quality measurements have to be considered. There are external quality assurance requirements on the quality management system (e.g. accreditation, certification, GLP), internal quality assurance tools (e.g. method validation, the use of certified reference material, control charts) and external quality assurance measures (e.g. interlaboratoiy tests). 

For all products in Classes Ila, lib and III, and AIMDs, a full quality assurance system, audited periodically by a notified body (Annex II of the MDD), which includes examination and certification by the notified body of the design dossier of each product covered. The manufacturer must keep documentation on the quality system and the design dossier of each product plus other documentation. The quality system obligations include post-marketing and vigilance aspects. Compliance with Annex II may be achieved (this is not mandatory but is invariably adopted voluntarily) by compliance with the EN 29000... 

For products in Classes Ila, lib and III, and AIMDs, examination and certification by a notified body of a specimen product (t)q)e examination Aimex III of the MDD) coupled with a varying degree (partially restricted by product class) of product or production quality assurance (MDD Annexes IV, V and VI), which ensures that the manufacturing process produces products that conform to the certified t)q)e and might involve a quality system for manufacture and final inspection (Annex V), or a quahty system for final inspection and testing (Annex VI). 

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