Conformity assessment helping with business continuity and remote tools during Covid-19 pandemic
September 30, 2020
The ISO CASCO Strategic Alliance and Regulatory Group (STAR) which provides a forum for industry sectors and regulators to interact with CASCO (the conformity assessment committee of ISO) and which IIOA plays an active part in, has assembled an invaluable webpage on the challenges and best practices in conformity assessment to assist organisations in the COVID-19 pandemic: Conformity Assessment During Covid-19
The ideas assembled cover two key issues of business continuity and remote activities. Within this, there are a range of tools covering:
- Remote auditing good practices
- Good practices in the new context
- Consistent accreditation in the new context.
The material comes from a variety of organisations and stakeholders in the conformity assessment community, from accreditation organisations IAF and ILAC, partners such as UNIDO and ISO itself. Also included is an IIOA article about how the IIOA members are providing ever more auditing using remote techniques
One other useful document is the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation’s ‘Quality and Standards and Their Role in Responding to COVID-19‘.
This document examines the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on global trade and highlights how various tools within the quality infrastructure, such as conformity assessment, can mitigate never impacts and create positives through supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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