develop consensus standards for use by TNI's programs. This group has a support role in assisting other programs with activities such as guidance and standards interpretation.
fosters the generation of data of known and documented quality is through the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, or NELAP. The purpose of this program is to establish and implement a program for the accreditation of environmental laboratories.
is to establish and maintain a national PT program to support TNI’s National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, and other activities.
Field Activities Program (NEFAP) Executive Committee is to establish and implement an accreditation program for field sampling and measurement organizations (FSMOs).
Audit Sample Program is to develop consensus standards for the manufacture and analysis of audit samples for source emission testing.
on a variety of topics of interest to the environmental measurement community. TNI also hosts two regularly scheduled meetings per year, typically in January and August. Both are a week long and involve open meetings of TNI committees as well as training courses and other special sessions.Standard Interpretation
Standard: 2009 TNI
Section: V1M1, Section 7.7.3; V2M3, Section 5.1
REQUEST:
V2M1 and V2M3 have a contradiction in timing of reassessment. V2M1 7.7.2 indicates that an AB shall have a procedure for carrying out surveillance and reassessments. Section 7.7.3 of the same module indicates that an AB can use a combination of reassessment and surveillance (see item b in that section), but reassessment must be done at least every 5 years. V2M3 5.1 states that reassessment must be done every 2 years.
Most feel that V2M3 5.1 requiring reassessment every 2 years supersedes V2M1 7.7.3 and reassessment must be done every 2 years. However, there appear to be some who feel that it is acceptable to do reassessment every 5 years if surveillance is performed at the proper intervals.
Please confirm (or refute) that V2M3 5.1 supersedes V2M1 7.7.3.
Below are the Definitions and Frequency for reassessment and Surveillance
Reassessment
V2M1 7.7.1 Reassessment is similar to an initial assessment as described in 7.5 to 7.9, except that experience gained during previous assessments shall be taken into account.
Surveillance
V2M1 3.19 Surveillance (ISO/IEC 17011:2004(E) Clause 3.18)
Set of activities, except reassessment, to monitor the continued fulfillment by accredited CABs of requirements for accreditation.
V2M1 7.7.1 Surveillance on-site assessments are less comprehensive than reassessments.
Frequency
V2M1 7.7.2 ISO/IEC 17011:2004(E) Clause 7.11.2
The accreditation body shall establish procedures and plans for carrying out periodic surveillance onsite assessments, other surveillance activities and reassessments at sufficiently close intervals to monitor the continued fulfillment by the accredited CAB of the requirements for accreditation.
V2M1 7.7.3 ISO/IEC 17011:2004(E) Clause 7.11.3
The accreditation body shall design its plan for reassessment and surveillance of each accredited CAB so that representative samples of the scope of accreditation are assessed on a regular basis.
The interval between on-site assessments, whether reassessment or surveillance, depends on the proven stability that the services of the CAB have reached.
Accreditation bodies shall rely on either reassessment alone or a combination of reassessment and surveillance, as follows:
a) if based on reassessment alone, then the reassessment shall take place at intervals not exceeding 2 years; or
b) if the combination of reassessment and surveillance is relied upon, then the accreditation body shall undertake a reassessment at least every 5 years. However, the interval between the surveillance on-site assessments should not exceed 2 years.
V2M3 5.1 After an initial assessment for accreditation, accreditation bodies shall perform reassessments at intervals of two years plus or minus six months. Once a CAB is accredited, accreditation bodies reserve the right to assess a CAB at any time during the accreditation period.
TNI FINAL RESPONSE:
(LAB Expert Committee and NELAP AC, 3-31-13)
Reassessments are required every two years plus or minus six months. Surveillance Assessments can be done at any time as long as reassessments are completed every two years plus or minus six months.