Source: https://www.ats.rs/en/pages/information-special-importance-certification-bodies-providing-certification-ms
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 01:11:57
Document Index: 770609929

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 3', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 4', 'art 5', 'art 6', 'art 7', 'art 2', 'art 2']

ATS - Akreditaciono telo Srbije - Accreditation Body of Serbia | Information of Special Importance to Certification Bodies Providing Certification of MS
Information for CBs certifying Environmental Management System
On 14th May 2017 European Co-operation for Accreditation (EA) published a mandatory document ЕА-7/04 М: 2017 „Legal Compliance as a part of Accredited ISO 14001:2015 Certification" for certification bodies for certification of environmental management systems that is available on EA website (www.european-accreditation.org).
This document replaced the document ЕА-7/04 М: 2007 and the revision of the document was made for the purpose of harmonizing with the requirements of ISO 14001:2015, ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and ISO/IEC TS 17021-2:2012.
The Accreditation Body of Serbia hereby informs accredited CBs certifying Environmental Management Systems that they are obliged to implement, without any delay, the document ЕА-7/04 М: 2017 when performing certification of environmental management systems according to SRPS ISO 14001:2015, whereas for performing certification of environmental management systems according to SRPS ISO 14001:2005, they should continue using the previous version of the document ЕА-7/04 М: 2007.
ATS will check and assess the application of the requirements of the new version of the said document during the first upcoming assessment and will use it in the future as a reference document for the assessment of bodies for certification of management systems providing services of certification of environmental management systems according to SRPS ISO 14001:2015.
In accordance with the Rules of Accreditation, accredited CBs for certification of management systems should submit all management systems documents that are amended in order to meet the requirements from ЕА-7/04 М: 2017, with clear identification of amendments, to ATS by 10th September 2017.
(2) during the process of making the decision on initial accreditation, i.e. the extension of the scope of accreditation for the new standard, starting 6th November 2016 certification bodies, which certificate the management systems must re-issue, previously issued non-accredited documents of certification in a period of one year until the date of making the final decision about accreditation.
Point 2.2 of the document EA Rules for Use of the EA Logo EA-1/19 A:2015 stipulates that conformity assessment bodies accredited by EA members are not allowed to use EA logo. If you use EA logo on your website, it is vital that the logo be removed if you published it and the proof/information about it be sent to ATS to following email: office@ats.rs
Likewise, should you be interested in promoting international status of ATS as a signatory to the ЕА MLA/MRA and full member of international accreditation organisations (EA, ILAC, IAF), you can do so by putting the link to e.g. ATS logo which will direct to the ATS internet page containing the text about ATS status and international recognition (http://www.ats.rs/en/pages/international-organisations-and-agreements) – About us/International organizations and agreements and pursuant to point 3.2.1 of the Rules for the Use of ATS Logo ATS-PA07 which defines that “ATS logo may, upon request, be approved for use for other purposes, in adverts, articles, publications, on fairs, exhibitions, conferences/seminars and websites of other organizations.”
Information for CBs certifying MS
Accreditation body of Serbia made changes in Rules for the Use of the Accreditation Symbol, Reference to Accreditation and ATS Status as a Signatory to the ЕА MLA, ILAC MRA and IAF MLA, ATS-PA04. Rules are conformed to the changes in international documents: ILAC-R7:05/2015, Rules for the Use of the ILAC MRA Mark, IAF ML 2:2016, General principles on the use of the IAF MLA mark и EA-1/19 A: 2015, Rules for Use of the EA Logo, as well as IAF Resolutions (IAF Resolution 2015-14, Agenda Item 10 and IAF Resolution 2016-17, Agenda Item 9).
Conforming to IAF General Assembly (IAF Resolution 2015-14, Agenda Item 10) accredited certification bodies (when using accreditation symbol and/or combined mark or textual reference to accreditation, if applicable) cannot issue certificates of conformity without accreditation symbol/ reference to accreditation/IAF MLA mark (if applicable) for areas which they are accredited for in line with the granted Scope of accreditation.
Based on the IAF General Assembly Resolution (IAF Resolution 2016-17, Agenda Item 9) it shall be deemed that the document for management systems certificates were issued by the process of accreditation if they have an accreditation symbol and/or refer to accreditation in the text and/or combined mark (if applicable).
(2) during the process of making the decision on initial accreditation, i.e. the extension of the scope of accreditation for the new standard, starting 6th November 2016, certification bodies, which certificate the management systems must re-issue, previously issued non-accredited documents of certification in a period of one year until the date of making the final decision about accreditation.
Information for CBs certifying ISMS
Standard ISO/IEC 27006:2015 containing the requirements and guidelines for bodies which assess and certify Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), as an addition to the requirements contained in ISO/IEC 17021‑1 and ISO/IEC 27001, which primarily serve as a support in accreditation of certification bodies which provide services of ISMS certification, was published in October 2015.
The said standard replaced former standard ISO/IEC 27006:2011, which was adopted as SRPS ISO/IEC 27006:2013 and which the Accreditation Body of Serbia (ATS) uses in the procedure of accreditation of certification bodies certifying Information Security Management Systems.
On the General Assembly in Milan in 2015, the International accreditation forum (IAF) made a decision that the transition period for conformity with the requirements of the new standard ISO/IEC 27006:2015 will be two years from the date of publication of the standard.
Considering the stated, as well as the status of the Accreditation Body of Serbia in IAF as a signatory to the IAF Multilateral Agreement (IAF MLA), the Accreditation Body of Serbia hereby informs accredited certification bodies certifying Information Security Management Systems, as well as bodies in the certification procedure, that the final deadline for transition to certification against ISO/IEC 27006:2015 is 30th September 2017.
Considering the stated, the Accreditation Body of Serbia shall not accept applications for accreditation by certification bodies certifying Information Security Management Systems according to SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and SRPS ISO/IEC 27006:2013 (ISO/IEC 27006:2011) after 20th March 2017.
All assessments made after 20th March 2017 shall also include assessment of fulfillment of the requirements of standard ISO/IEC 27006:2015.
Accredited certification bodies certifying Information Security Management Systems according to SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and SRPS ISO/IEC 27006:2013 standards are obligated to prepare a plan of transition to accreditation according to ISO/IEC 27006:2015 and submit it to the Accreditation Body of Serbia by 20th April 2017 at the latest.
Upon receipt and assessment of the plan for transition to accreditation according to ISO/IEC 27006:2015, the Accreditation Body of Serbia will check the application of the requirements of the new standard at the head offices of certification bodies, during regular surveillance assessments or reassessments.
When the Institute for Standardization of Serbia adopts appropriate SRPS ISO/IEC 27006, which will be identical to ISO/IEC 27006:2015, the Accreditation Body of Serbia will move to accreditation of certification bodies certifying Information Security Management Systems by standards SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and SRPS ISO/IEC 27006:2017.
Additional information on the transfer to SRPS ISO 9001:2015, i.e. SRPS ISO 14001:2015
Accredited certification bodies for certification of the quality management systems and for the certification of environmental management systems submit requirements for certification according to SRPS ISO 9001:2015, i.e. SRPS ISO 14001:2015 as a form of application for extension of accreditation scope since the procedure of transferring to new standards includes a minimal review of the documentation submitted, one witness report and assessment on site as well as that with transferring to ‘’new standards’’ accredited certification bodies for management systems will also keep the accreditation scope certification in accordance to SRPS ISO 9001:2008, i.e. SRPS ISO 14001:2005. until the 14th September 2018.
We hereby inform all interested parties that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published, on 15th June 2015, ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 - Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems - Part 1: Requirements. Therefore, the Institute for Standardization of Serbia published, on 29th December 2015, SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 that is identical to ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015.
SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 replaced SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011 and hence it is necessary for all certification bodies providing certification of management systems that were accredited by ATS and those that will be granted accreditation to analyse the requirements of the new standard and make the necessary changes – to harmonise their management systems and certification systems and to fully apply SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015.
At its 2014 General Assembly meeting held in Vancouver the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) made a decision that the transition period for the implementation of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 would be two years from the date of publication. Therefore, IAF published an informative document (IAF ID11:2015) and posted it on its website as it contains information of importance to accreditation and certification bodies on the transition to the new edition of the standard.
Having in mind the aforementioned and ATS’s status as the signatory to the IAF MLA, ATS hereby informs accredited certification bodies providing certification of management systems and those CBs that will be granted accreditation that the deadline for the transition to accreditation as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 is 15th June 2017.
Moreover, having in mind the time needed for the adaptation of its documentation and preparation of assessors to assess as per the requirements of the new edition of the standard, ATS hereby informs that it will be ready, as of 1st June 2016, to assess certification bodies as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015.
1. CB Information
1.1 CBs seeking accreditation
ATS will be receiving applications for accreditation as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011 up until 30th April 2016. After this deadline ATS will no longer accept applications for accreditation as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011, but solely as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015.
On 1st June 2016, ATS will start performing assessments as per the requirements of SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1: 2015.
1.2 CBs that will be granted accreditation
Those certification bodies that will be granted accreditation as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011, can, depending on their needs, finalise the procedure that was initiated as per the said standard, whereas their transition to accreditation as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall be finalised by 15th June 2017 under conditions defined for accredited certification bodies or they can apply to ATS in order to be assessed as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015, but before the SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011 accreditation procedure would be finalised, whereas this can be carried out after 1st June 2016.
1.3 ISO/IEC 17021:2011 accredited CBs
All SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011 accredited CBs are obliged to prepare their own plans on transition to accreditation as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 where they would define the necessary changes to their management systems or accredited MS certification activities and deadlines within which they would implement these changes for the purpose of complete harmonisation with the requirements of the new edition of the standard, whereras it will be necessary to take into consideration these changes to processes, contractual arrangements, committees and other aspects the implementation of which needs to be finalised within specified time frames.
Certification bodies shall submit to ATS their plans on the transition to accreditation as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 by 1st April 2016 at the latest so that these can be reviewed and harmonised by ATS. The said harmonisation refers, first of all, to deadlines that were defined as such in their plans in order to meet the defined deadline (15th June 2017), whereas ATS’s accreditation rules and procedure should be taken into consideration in case of transition of accreditation as per the new edition of the standard.
ATS will, after the transition plans have been harmonised with CBs, check and assess application and observance of the requirements of the new edition of the standard during regular surveillance assessments or reassessments of accredited CBs, but not before 1st June 2016.
Exceptionally, ATS can, at the CB request, perform a separate assessment (in order to speed up the procedure or when CBs are not ready to be assessed as per the requirements of the new edition of the standard during regular surveillance assessments or reassessments) to confirm the CB transition of accreditation to the new edition of the standard, but not before 1st June 2016 in order to meet the defined deadline (15th June 2017).
If nonconformities are identified during assessments as per the requirements of the new edition of the standard, certification bodies will be obliged to eliminate the cause thereof in accordance with the ATS procedure before decisions on accreditation transition as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 would be made by ATS. CBs must submit to ATS evidences confirming the elimination of identified nonconformities by 15th May 2017 at the latest in order to meet the transition deadline (15th June 2017), whereas the Accreditation Rules must be observed in terms of final deadline for the elimination of identified nonconformities.
ATS will withdraw accreditations granted as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011 in case of those CBs that fail to harmonise their work and management systems with the requirements of SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 within the defined transition period and in case of those CBs for which no decisions on accreditation as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 would be made by 15th June 2017.
ISO/TS 22003:2013, Food Safety Management Systems – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of food safety management systems was published on 15th December 2013. This 2013 TS, that replaced former ISO/TS 22003:2007, contains amended requirements for food safety management systems audits that are carried out by third parties and requirements for competence of personnel involved in the certification process.
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) published an informative document IAF ID 8:2014, and made it available on the IAF’s website, whereas the document contains a reference to the relevant IAF General Assembly Resolution determining a transitional period of three years from the date of publication (15th December 2013) of the technical specification ISO/TS 22003:2013 for the transition of certification bodies providing certification of food safety managements systems to accreditation as per the said technical specification.
The Institute for Standardization of Serbia published on 30th October 2015 SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2015, Food Safety Management Systems - Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of food safety management systems in order to transpose ISO/TS 22003:2013 and replace former technical specification SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2010.
Since the conditions for the transition of certification bodies providing certification of food safety management systems, accredited by the Accreditation Body of Serbia (ATS) as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011 and SRPS ISO/TS 22003, to accreditation as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011 and SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2015 were met, ATS informs the interested parties and its’ Clients of the following:
Applications for accreditation submitted by certification bodies providing certification of food safety management systems as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011 and SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2010 after 15th December 2015 will not be accepted.
New accreditations will be granted after 15th May 2016 only in accordance with the version of SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011 and SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2010 that will be valid at that time.
All accredited certification bodies providing certification of food safety management systems need to prepare a plan for a transition to accreditation as per SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2015. These plans should determine the changes in the management system and time frames for implementing necessary changes in order to achieve conformance with the requirements of the new technical specification. The plans should be submitted to ATS by 15th December 2015 at the latest.
Transition to SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2015 can require certain changes in the procedures, delivery of training or other activities that are time-consuming, especially as it will be necessary to put in place the process and system in order to determine the CB personnel competence.
After receiving and assessing the plan of transition to accreditation as per SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2015, ATS will check the application of requirements of the new technical specification in the CB Head Office during initial assessments, regular surveillance assessments or reassessments. All assessments after 15th February 2016 will also include the assessment of conformity with the requirements of the new technical specification.
If certain nonconformities are identified during assessments, certification bodies are obliged to eliminate them as prescribed in the ATS rules and procedures, but before the expiry of the transition period in order to enable ATS to make appropriate decisions on accreditation.
All accredited certification bodies providing certification of food safety management systems shall, by the expiry of the transition period (i.e. by 15th December 2016), be in conformance with SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2015, whereas this will be formulated in the Scope of Accreditation. Scopes of accreditation of the certification bodies providing certification of food safety management systems, which fail to switch to accreditation as per SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2015 by 15th December 2016, will be reduced for the part referring to certification of food safety management systems.
Having in mind food chain categories listed in table A.1 of Annex A of SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2010, these are grouped as the following clusters:
1. Farming (A+B)
2. Food and Feed Processing (C+D)
3. Catering (E)
4. Retail, Transport and Storage (F+G)
5. Auxiliary Industries (H+I+J)
6. (Bio) Chemicals (K)
After the assessments have been completed and decisions on the transition to the new version of the technical specification have been made, scopes of accreditation of certification bodies will be updated in accordance with the clusters and categories of the new version of the technical specification. In principle, valid scopes of accreditation (formulated as per the categories) will be redefined as (new) clusters and categories in accordance to (attached) Table 1.
If valid scopes of accreditation of certification bodies do not contain all the categories of a particular cluster, CBs will decide whether they want to:
- offer certification services for the entire cluster (SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2015) and in that case they must apply for the extension of the scope of accreditation or
- continue to offer certification services for current categories, but within the scope of (new) clusters when the scopes of accreditation will be revised to include only the categories within specific clusters.
Scope of accreditation as per SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2010 Scope of accreditation as per SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2015
Code Category Cluster Category
A Farming 1 (Animals) Farming A Farming of Animals
B Farming 2 (Plants) Farming B Farming of Plants
C Processing 1
(Perishable animal products) including all activities after farming, e.g. slaughtering
Food and feed processing C Food manufacturing
D Processing 2 (Perishable vegetable products) Food and feed processing C Food manufacturing
E Processing 3 (Products with long shelf life at ambient temperature) Food and feed processing C Food manufacturing
F Feed production Food and feed processing D Animal feed production
G Catering Catering E Catering
H Distribution Retail, transport and storage F Distribution
I Services Auxiliary services H Services
J Transport and storage Retail, transport and storage G Provision of Transport and Storage Services
K Equipment manufacturing Auxiliary services J Equipment manufacturing
L (Bio)chemical manufacturing (Bio)chemical K Production of (Bio) Chemicals
M Packaging material manufacturing Auxiliary services I Production of Food Packaging and Packaging Material
In case of initial assessments ATS will grant accreditation just only if the assessment included at least one witnessing for each requested cluster, with at least one witnessing for a complete audit (phase 1 and phase 2).
ATS planned all activities that will be carried out in the upcoming period (change in the management system documents, training of assessors and persons participating in decision-making, update of surveillance activities) in order to harmonise the accreditation procedure in case of certification bodies providing certification of management systems as per the requirements of SRPS ISO/TS 22003:2015 and IAF MD16 document.
The Accreditation Body of Serbia (ATS) hereby informs all interested parties that the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) published an informative document (IAF ID9:2015), that was made available on the IAF’s website, whereby it was defined that the transition period in case of all certification bodies accredited as per ISO/IEC 17021:2011 was set to be 3 years from the from the date of publication of ISO 9001:2015. Within this period accredited certification bodies have to prepare for the certification of quality management systems in line with the new edition of the standard.
Within the defined transition period ATS will, during regular surveillance assessments or reassessments of accredited certification bodies providing certification of management systems, perform assessments at the request of the certification bodies for the purpose of confirming the transition to the certification of environmental management systems as per SRPS ISO 9001:2015. Exceptionally, ATS can, at the request of the certification bodies, perform a separate assessment (in order to speed up the procedure) to confirm that the transition to the new edition of the standard was carried out prior to the planned regular surveillance assessment or reassessment.
Pursuant to the recommendations from the IAF ID9:2015 document, accreditation of certification bodies providing certification of management systems as per the requirements of SRPS ISO 9001:2008 will be valid until 14th September 2018 at the latest. Scopes of accreditation of those certification bodies providing certification of management systems as per the requirements of SRPS ISO 9001:2008 for which the transition to the new edition of the standard will not be confirmed by 14th September 2018, will be reduced so that the part pertaining to certification of quality management systems could be excluded therefrom.
Accredited certification bodies providing certification of management systems, wishing to transfer to the accredited certification of quality management systems as per the requirements of SRPS ISO 9001:2015, can, from 23rd November 2015, submit applications for the transition to the new edition of the standard.
In addition to the application, accredited certification bodies have to submit to ATS the following documents:
their own plan on how to transfer to the certification of environmental management systems as per the requirements of SRPS ISO 9001:2015 with defined deadlines for the performance of necessary activities relating to audit and certification activities as per the requirements of the new edition of the standard that should be drafted by using the CB-related instructions from the IAF ID9:2015 document;
information about the communication between certification bodies and their clients as regards the transition to the new edition of the standard (e.g. are the clients ready and how many of them are ready to perform certification as per the requirements of SRPS ISO/IEC 9001:2015 and information about the plans as regards the necessary amendments to the clients’ management systems);
information about the client’s transition process and arrangement as regards the new edition of the standard should include at least the following:
- planned audit mode (one visit or staged visit) for the purpose of transition to the new edition of the standard;
- planning of concrete audits, including the planned mode in which the audits are carried out to check the application of the requirements of the new edition of the standard;
- plans reviewing the differences between DIS, FDIS and final edition of the standard and performance of additional activities (if specific activities such as staff training were carried out as per DIS or FDIS versions of the standard);
- certification document control, including expiry date and transition period;
all management system documents that were amended due to transition to certification as per the new edition of the standard with clear identification of changes;
personnel competence criteria that were put in place (respective skills and knowledge identified by the certification body on the basis of the requirements of the new edition of the standard) and evidence of the personnel competence, including updated records on evaluated competence of relevant personnel and information whether the new edition of the standard had any effects on technical fields the personnel is competent for, and, if need be, delivered training materials.
ATS-performed assessments will include at least the review of submitted documentation, one witnessing visit and one on-site assessment.
Performed witnessing will be an integral part of witnessing planned to be carried out during regular surveillance activities or necessary witnessing visits when performing assessments for the purpose of accreditation renewal, and hence it will not be an additional activity/cost for accredited certification bodies. Those clients of certification bodies that have already applied SRPS ISO 9001:2015 will be selected for the purpose of witnessing.
Accredited certification bodies must ensure that certification expiry dates on issued certification documents after initial audit or recertification audit that was carried out as per the old version of the standard are in line with the transition period end date.
Accredited certification bodies can grant certification as per SRPS ISO 9001:2015 only after a decision was made by ATS on their transition to certification as per the new edition of the standard and if clients, the environmental management systems of which are to be certified, demonstrated conformance with SRPS ISO 9001:2015.
Certification bodies providing certification of management systems that are in the process of initial accreditation for certification of quality management systems as per SRPS ISO 9001:2005, and that are interested to be granted accreditation for certification as per the requirements of SRPS ISO 9001:2015, are obliged to submit to ATS an application requiring the change of the requested scope of accreditation. Hence, ATS will harmonise its assessment activities with each certification body depending on the phase of the CB accreditation process.
The Accreditation Body of Serbia (ATS) hereby informs all interested parties that the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) published an informative document (IAF ID10:2015), that was made available on the IAF’s website, whereby it was defined that the transition period in case of all certification bodies accredited as per ISO/IEC 17021:2011 was set to be 3 years from the from the date of publication of ISO 14001:2015. Within this period accredited certification bodies have to prepare for the certification of environmental management systems in line with the new edition of the standard.
Within the defined transition period ATS will, during regular surveillance assessments or reassessments of accredited certification bodies providing certification of management systems, perform assessments at the request of the certification bodies for the purpose of confirming the transition to the certification of environmental management systems as per SRPS ISO 14001:2015. Exceptionally, ATS can, at the request of the certification bodies, perform a separate assessment (in order to speed up the procedure) to confirm that the transition to the new edition of the standard was carried out prior to the planned regular surveillance assessment or reassessment.
Pursuant to the recommendations from the IAF ID10:2015 document, accreditation of certification bodies providing certification of management systems as per the requirements of SRPS ISO 14001:2005 will be valid until 14th September 2018 at the latest. Scopes of accreditation of those certification bodies providing certification of management systems as per the requirements of SRPS ISO 14001:2005 for which the transition to the new edition of the standard will not be confirmed by 14th September 2018, will be reduced so that the part pertaining to certification of environmental management systems could be excluded therefrom.
Accredited certification bodies providing certification of management systems, wishing to transfer to the accredited certification of environmental management systems as per the requirements of SRPS ISO 14001:2015, can, from 23rd November 2015, submit applications for the transition to the new edition of the standard.
their own plan on how to transfer to the certification of environmental management systems as per the requirements of SRPS ISO 14001:2015 with defined deadlines for the performance of necessary activities relating to audit and certification activities as per the requirements of the new edition of the standard that should be drafted by using the CB-related instructions from the IAF ID10:2015 document;
information about the communication between certification bodies and their clients as regards the transition to the new edition of the standard (e.g. are the clients ready and how many of them are ready to perform certification as per the requirements of SRPS ISO/IEC 14001:2015 and information about the plans as regards the necessary amendments to the clients’ management systems);
Performed witnessing will be an integral part of witnessing planned to be carried out during regular surveillance activities or necessary witnessing visits when performing assessments for the purpose of accreditation renewal, and hence it will not be an additional activity/cost for accredited certification bodies. Those clients of certification bodies that have already applied SRPS ISO 14001:2015 will be selected for the purpose of witnessing.
Accredited certification bodies can grant certification as per SRPS ISO 14001:2015 only after a decision was made by ATS on their transition to certification as per the new edition of the standard and if clients, the environmental management systems of which are to be certified, demonstrated conformance with SRPS ISO 14001:2015.
Certification bodies providing certification of management systems that are in the process of initial accreditation for certification of environmental management systems as per SRPS ISO 14001:2005, and that are interested to be granted accreditation for certification as per the requirements of SRPS ISO 14001:2015, are obliged to submit to ATS an application requiring the change of the requested scope of accreditation. Hence, ATS will harmonise its assessment activities with each certification body depending on the phase of the CB accreditation process.
Information as regards accreditation of conformity assessment bodies for the purpose of designation to perform the conformity assessment activities referred to in the Regulation on Noise Emission by Equipment for Use Outdoors (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia”, No. 1/13)
Application of the Regulation on Noise Emission by Equipment for Use Outdoors (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia”, No. 1/13) (hereinafter referred to as: Regulation) started on 1st July 2015 and a notice thereof was posted on www.tehnis.privreda.gov.rs.
The notice stated that conformity assessment bodies accredited to perform testing of noise in keeping with SRPS EN ISO 3744:2008 can, prior to being designated to perform the conformity assessment activities referred to in Article 11 of the Regulation, issue certificates of conformity to local producers or, when applicable, to representatives of foreign producers as stipulated in Annexes 6, 7 or 8 of the Regulation and under conditions presented in the notice.
The Accreditation Body of Serbia hereby informs all interested conformity assessment bodies (CABs) that it will, as of 1st October 2015, receive CABs’ applications for accreditation that will allow them to perform conformity assessment activities in keeping with Article 11 of the Regulation (Annexes 6, 7 or 8 of the Regulation).
CABs can be granted accreditation for the said conformity assessment activities as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17020, SRPS ISO/IEC 17065 or SRPS ISO/IEC 17021 depending on the type of conformity assessment activities that need to be performed as per the said Annexes of the Regulation.
Accreditations can be granted in the course of initial assessments, reassessments or assessments performed to extend the scope of accreditation that had already been granted, whereas the awarded accreditation documents will serve as a proof of competence to perform conformity assessment in case of CAB designation as per the Regulation.
Moreover, it was determined, as defined in the EA policy stipulated in the document entitled EA-2/17 INF: 2014 that tackles CAB accreditation for the purpose of notification and as agreed with the Ministry of Economy (MoE document No. 110-00-165/2015-07 dated 22.07.2015), that accreditation documents (in addition to the aforementioned ones) that are in keeping with SRPS ISO/IЕС 17025 will be accepted (for the purpose of notification) as a proof of CAB competence and know-how to perform the conformity assessment activities referred to in Annexes 6 and 7 of the Regulation in case of testing laboratories performing testing of noise as per SRPS ISO 3744 if, during the accreditation procedure, additional assessments were performed to determine fulfilment of the requirements laid down in Annex 9 of the Regulation.
Hence ATS allows testing laboratories accredited as per SRPS ISO 3744 to perform noise emission testing to submit, as of 1st October 2015 (or even earlier if their regular surveillance assessments are planned to be carried out before 1st October 2015), applications to extend the scope of accreditation for the purpose of designation to perform conformity assessment as per Article 11 of the Regulation in case of the conformity assessment activities referred to in Annexes 6 and 7 of the Regulation. Assessments will be performed during regular surveillance assessments after the applications have been submitted or as a separate procedure after the applications to extend the scope of accreditation for the purpose of designation have been received. Laboratory assessment will include an assessment of their technical competence or assessment of their know-how and procedures used to make decisions on the basis of audits and evaluations prescribed in the Regulation and obtained noise testing results, whereas these decisions will need to confirm whether the Regulation requirements have been fulfilled or not. With this end in view laboratories should, in addition to all SRPS ISO/IЕС 17025 requirements, also fulfil the requirements referred to in clauses 4.1, 7.5 and 7.6 of SRPS ISO/IEC 17065 and this will be assessed during additional assessments on the basis of applications for the extension of the scope of accreditation for the purpose of designation. Accredited testing laboratories, the scope of which will be extended during the said procedure, will be issued the new extended Scope of Accreditation that will, in addition to regular information and data, contain clear information that a laboratory for conformity assessment in keeping with the Regulation was additionally assessed as per the relevant SRPS ISO/IEC 17065 requirements.
Application for the extension of the scope of accreditation for testing laboratories for the purpose of designation is posted under D.1.1A ANNEX TO THE APPLICATION FOR ACCREDITATION (for testing laboratories – SRPS ISO/IEC 17025) - ONLY FOR THE EXTENSION TO THE SCOPE OF ACCREDITATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF DESIGNATION. Completed and signed application forms with requested annexes have to be sent to the ATS’s address.
SRPS ISO TS 17021-3:2014 Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 3: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of quality management systems
This Technical Specification underpins ISO/IEC 17021 given that it explains in more detail the competence requirements for persons participating in certification process as defined in ISO/IEC 17021:2011, clause 7 and Annex A. The intention was to ensure that all QMS auditors and other personnel participating in certification-related activities have basic competences as described in SRPS ISO/IEC 17021, and specific QMS knowledge described in this Technical Specification.
Mandatory application of the Technical Specification will commence on 2nd May 2015 and hence all certification bodies are obliged to incorporate the requirements thereof in their management system.
ATS plans and intends to carry out all activities in the next period (changes in the management system documents, training of assessors and persons participating in decision-making) in order to harmonise the CB accreditation procedure as per the requirements of the Technical Specification.
ATS will commence assessing the application of the requirements of the Technical Specification on 1st October 2014 during initial assessments/regular surveillance assessments/reassessments of CBs. Failure to fulfil the requirements of the Technical Specification shall require undertaking of relevant actions as defined in the Accreditation Rules.
It is important to emphasise that ISO/IEC 17021 consists of the following parts and its general title reads as follows “General requirements — Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems”:
Part 2: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of environmental management systems (Technical Specification)
Part 3: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of quality management systems (Technical Specification).
Moreover, the following document was published on 30.09.2013:
Part 4: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of event sustainability management systems (Technical Specification).
The following parts are being prepared:
Part 5: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of asset management systems (Technical Specification)
Part 6: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of business continuity management systems (Technical Specification)
Part 7: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of road traffic safety management systems (Technical Specification).
It was planned that the following revision of ISO/IEC 17021:2011 would become a standard (ISO/IEC 17021-1).
SRPS ISO TS 17021-2:2013 Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 2: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of environmental management systems
SRPS ISO/IEC 17021 provides generic competence requirements for personnel involved in the audit and certification process for Environmental Management Systems (EMS). In addition to the said competence, certification bodies (CBs) shall also have EMS auditors having specific knowledge defined in SRPS ISO TS 17021-2:2013.
CBs are obliged to define the competence requirements for each EMS technical field of relevance and for each certification-related function.
The mandatory application of the Technical Specification will start on 15th August 2014 and therefore all CBs are obliged to apply the requirements of the said Specification in their management systems.
ATS planned all activities and carried out all of them (changes in the management system documents, training of assessors and persons participating in decision-making) in order to harmonise the accreditation of CBs as per the requirements of the Technical Specification.
ATS will commence assessing the application of the requirements of the Technical Specification on 1st January 2014 during regular surveillance assessments/reassessments of CBs. Failure to fulfil the requirements of the Technical Specification shall require undertaking of relevant actions as defined in the Rules of Accreditation.
Opinion of the Ministry of Finance and Economy about the application of the Regulation on Personal Protective Equipment
We hereby inform our accredited conformity assessment bodies (CABs) that the Ministry of Finance and Economy, MFE (currently Ministry of Economy) published the opinion about the application of the Regulation on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – operation of the CABs after 1st July 2013.
For more information, please visit http://www.tehnis.privreda.gov.rs/en.html.
- ATS-PA01, Accreditation Rules that define the entire accreditation procedure, requirements to be met by CABs, rights and obligations of those participating in accreditation granting and maintenance. In addition to harmonisation with the changes in the management system documents and in order to increase the efficiency of the ATS operation and continue observance of the requirements of SRPS ISO/IEC 17011, the following periods of realisation of regular surveillance assessments were changed: “First regular surveillance assessment shall be carried out 6 to 9 months after the accreditation has been granted, second regular surveillance assessment shall be carried out 18 to 21 months after the accreditation has been granted, while the third one shall be carried out 30 to 33 months after the accreditation has been granted”. In accordance with the aforementioned, the time frame in case of realisation of reassessments was changed since this time frame require that reassessments shall be, as a rule, performed 6 months before the expiry of the accreditation validity period as specified in the changed Rules. Hence the plans of realisation of surveillance assessments and reassessments will be changed and accredited CABs will be informed thereof on time. The requirements related to the obligations of CABs and ATS were changed in line with the obligations arising from the signed agreements.
In the previous period ATS changed the assessment procedure in case of certification bodies providing certification of management systems (ATS-UP17, Assessment of Certification Bodies Providing Certification of Management Systems) to harmonise it with IAF MD10:2013, IAF Mandatory Document for Assessment of Certification Body Management of Competence in Accordance with ISO/IEC 17021:2011. The document is intended for the ATS employees that are involved in the assessment procedure and for external assessors/technical experts.
The procedure entitled ATS-PR14, Witnessing Criteria was changed to mirror the recommendations of the European co-operation for Accreditation in terms of requirements for certification bodies providing certification of management systems. The said criteria are available on request.
ATS translated the following mandatory IAF documents and adopted them as part of its own documented management system: IAF МD5:2013, Duration of QMS and EMS Audits as ATS-UP16, Duration of QMS and EMS Audits and IAF MD 11:2013, IAF Mandatory Document for the Application of ISO/IEC 17021 for Audits of Integrated Management Systems as ATS-UP31, Application of ISO/IEC 17021 for Audits of Integrated Management Systems.
ATS is drafting the activity plan as regards the application of the mandatory document entitled ISO/IEC 17021-2, Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems - Part 2: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of environmental management systems.
Information about the Regulation on Personal Protective Equipment
The Accreditation Body of Serbia hereby informs all accredited conformity assessment bodies that, pursuant to the published Regulation on Personal Protective Equipment (published in the Official Gazette of the RS Number 100 in 2011), certain regulations from this field governed by this Regulation shall be repealed with effect from the date of first application of this Regulation (1st July 2013). The Regulation prescribes that conformity certificates awarded on the basis of the repealed regulation shall remain valid until the expiry of the validity period, i.e. by 1st July 2013 at the latest as defined in the said regulation.
Having in mind the aforementioned, the Accreditation Body of Serbia will, from 1st July 2013, make decisions to reduce or withdraw accreditations to conformity assessment bodies that would list in their scopes of accreditation regulations that are no longer valid.
Competence of all CABs wishing to get accredited as per the Regulation on Personal Protective Equipment shall be determined during on-site assessments in case of initial assessments and reassessments or assessments for the purpose of extending the scope of accreditation.
The Accreditation Body of Serbia will, depending on the conformity assessment activities performed by CABs, grant accreditation to CABs in keeping with the requirements of the following standards:
For the conformity assessment activity defined by Article 11 of the Regulation (inspection of PPE type) – as per SRPS EN 45011 or SRPS ISO/IEC 17020;
For the conformity assessment activity defined by Article 12 of the Regulation (conformance with PPE type on the basis of internal production control and inspected testing of products at random intervals) – as per SRPS EN 45011 or SRPS ISO/IEC 17020;
For the conformity assessment activity defined by Article 13 of the Regulation (conformance with PPE type on the basis of the production process quality guarantee-production quality assurance) – as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021.
Those CABs wishing to get accredited as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17020 should meet the requirements for “type A” inspection bodies in order to be designated in line with the Regulation.
Furthermore, laboratories can be awarded accreditation in accordance with SRPS ISO/IEC 17025 in case of testing of personal protective equipment for the needs of interested parties, whereas only designated CABs can issue the conformity certificates referred to in Articles 11-13 of the Regulation.
The list of regulations repealed in accordance with Article 24 of the Regulation on Personal Protective Equipment:
Decree on Mandatory Attestation of Protective Helmets Used in Industry (“Official Journal of the SFRY” Nos. 4/82 and 43/82);
Decree on Mandatory Attestation of Fire Protection Helmets (“Official Journal of the SFRY” No. 67/86);
Decree on Mandatory Attestation of Respiratory Protective Equipment (“Official Journal of the SFRY” No. 49/87);
Decree on Mandatory Attestation of Climbing hooks for Wooden Poles and Conditions to be Met by Organisations of Associated Labour Authorised to Attest These Products (“Official Journal of the SFRY” No. 67/89);
Decree on Mandatory Attestation of Protective Belts and Conditions to be Met by Organisations of Associated Labour Authorised to Attest These Products (“Official Journal of the SFRY” No. 67/89);
Regulation on Technical and Other Requirements for Fire Protection Helmets (“Official Gazette of the RS” No. 74/09);
Regulation on Technical and Other Requirements for Personal Protective Equipment (“Official Gazette of the RS” No. 56/09), other than a provision in Article 2, point 10) of the regulation pertaining to helmets and visors for two or three wheel motor vehicle drivers.
Transitional period for the application of the new version of SRPS ISO/IEC 17021 (SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011) ended
On 1st February 2013, the Accreditation Body of Serbia (ATS) finalised all activities related to the transitional period for the application of the new version of SRPS ISO/IEC 17021 (SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011) pertaining to the work of certification bodies providing certification of management systems. ATS assessed the application of the new version of the standard at the CB head offices during regular surveillance assessments or reassessments.
The necessary changes in the CB management systems (changes in the procedures, new or amended criteria for auditor competence, etc.) were made in keeping with the plans for the transition to the new version of the standard that were prepared by CBs. ATS made, on the basis of the assessment results, adequate decisions, whereas accreditation certificates were changed and new accreditation symbols were issued.
FAMI-QS scheme accepted by EA and covered by the EA MLA
According to the EA procedure for the acceptance of schemes covered by the EA MLA, EA commenced assessment of the FAMI-QS (European Feed Additives and Premixtures Quality System) scheme in April 2010.
After the assessment has been performed, EA HHC (Horizontal Harmonization Committee) the TFG in charge of reviewing the scheme (Working Group) finalised its Final Report on 28th February 2012 where they provided a recommendation that FAMI-QS scheme should be accepted by EA under ISO/IEC 17021 for inclusion into the EA MLA.
Voting process was successfully finalised on 2nd July 2012.
The Accreditation Body of Serbia produced the document entitled ATS-UP 19, Differences between SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2007 and SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2011 that is intended for accredited certification bodies operating certification of management systems accredited as per SRPS ISO/IEC 17021:2007 and preparing for the transition to the new version of the standard.
Application of ISO/IEC 17021:2011
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF), after consultation with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), set 1st February 2013 as the start date for the application of ISO/IEC 17021:2011.
IAF issued the informative document entitled IAF ID2:2011 that is available at the IAF website where a transitional period for all CABs accredited as per ISO/IEC 17021:2006 was set to be 24 months from the date of its publication to adapt to the requirements of the new standard.
Text of ISO/IEC 17021:2011 stayed almost the same when compared with the existing ISO/IEC 17021:2006, but it contains additional requirements for the certification process in terms of management system auditing performed by third parties and competence of persons involved in the certification process.
The Institute for Standardization confirmed that the new version of the standard would be available in the Republic of Serbia at the end of July 2011.
New requirements for accreditation
From 1st September 2011, the ATS will no longer accept new applications for accreditation as per ISO/IEC 17021:2006.
From 1st February 2012 the ATS will grant new accreditations only as per ISO/IEC 17021:2011.
Accredited CABs as per ISO/IEC 17021:2006 – transitional period
All CABs accredited as per ISO/IEC 17021:2006 must prepare the transition plan that will present the changes in their management systems and time period needed for the implementation thereof. It is recommended that the ATS should agree to this plan prior to regular assessments at head offices of certification bodies by 15th October 2011 at the latest for each case.
Transition to ISO/IEC 17021:2011 can also require more complex changes, amendments to procedures, establishment of the new training regimes or amendments to the existing ones, development of software systems and application of systems used to prove competence.
The ATS will check the application of the requirements of the new standard at the head offices of certification bodies during regular surveillance assessments or reassessments aiming at renewing accreditation. If not otherwise agreed, all assessments after 15th October 2011 will be performed in line with the requirements of the new standard.
If nonconformities are identified during assessments, certification bodies will be obliged to eliminate the cause thereof in accordance with the ATS procedure before the expiry of the transitional period so that the accreditation could be granted. In order to ensure elimination of the causes of all nonconformities within the deadline, evidence of the elimination thereof must be submitted to the ATS by 1st November 2012 at the latest.
In case when certification bodies do not have capacities to perform some of the activities defined in the plan before 1st February 2013 (for example: delivery of training and evaluation of their commercial staffs in order to fulfil the requirements of the mandatory Annex A of ISO/IEC 17021:2011), the ATS will identify these changes as observations and those should not affect the ATS decision if the implementation of the plan had already been agreed and that the implementation in case of all other clauses is as planned.
After the expiry of the transitional period, i.e. after 1st February 2013, the work of all accredited certification bodies must be in conformance with ISO/IEC 17021:2011.
New schemes of accreditation
In case of applications for accreditation that require the development of the new scheme of accreditation based on ISO/IEC 17021, the new version of the standard will be immediately applied.
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