WOOD WISE
SANAS assessment process whereby the auditing techniques and technical competency of the certification body auditors are fully demonstrated and confirmed as being acceptable .
Once non-conformances identified during the assessment have been effectively addressed and cleared by the assessment team , SANAS accreditation is granted to the certification body for that specific product standard .
SANAS ACCREDITATION CERTIFICATE
The SANAS Accreditation Certificate comprises two parts , one being the certificate and the other a scope of accreditation detailed as an annexure . It is critical that the SANAS accreditation certificate is read in conjunction with the scope of accreditation which defines the specific product specifications the certification body is accredited for .
The certification body may display the SANAS logo on their product certificate issued to the certificate holder , provided the relevant product specification is included in the scope of accreditation defined in the SANAS certificate .
Once non-conformances identified during the assessment have been effectively addressed and cleared by the assessment team , SANAS accreditation is granted to the certification body for that specific product standard .
The certification body may certify a manufacturer to any other product standard that is not included in the SANAS Scope of Accreditation but may not include the SANAS Logo on the certificate issued to the manufacturer .
In the event certification bodies fail to maintain their SANAS Accreditation for specific product standards the SANAS Scope of Certification is re-issued with those product specifications being removed from the scope of accreditation . The certification body is then required to re-issue all affected certificates to exclude the SANAS logo indicating an unaccredited product certification .
What end users need to understand is that all SANAS Accredited Certification Bodies are accredited to the exact same ISO / IEC 17065 requirements with specific product specifications defined in their scope of accreditation . In addition , SANAS Accredited Certification Bodies through their ISO / IEC 17065 accreditation status are recognised and accepted internationally . No ISO / IEC 17065 accredited certification body can be considered ‘ more ’ accredited or ‘ less ’ accredited than the other . End-users that specify SANAS Accreditation for a specific product standard in their purchase documentation should be more concerned if the manufacturer of that product is certified by a certification body that is SANAS Accredited for that specific product standard . Being a SANAS Accredited Certification Body does not infer that any product certificate issued to a manufacturer is SANAS Accredited . Detailed information can be accessed at :
• IAF signatories : www . iaf . nu
• SANAS : www . sanas . co . za
• SANAS Accredited Certification Bodies : www . sanas . co . za
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abe Stears was born in Mossel Bay district and grew up on a plantation . After finishing his matric at the Outeniqua Highs School in George , he went for his military training as all young men in those days had to do . He enrolled at the then Saasveld College and finished his studies in Plantation and Catchment Management in 1971 . For 18 years he worked at the Department of Forestry in different locations in South Africa and South West Africa ( Namibia ). In 1989 he resigned and joined the SABS Timber Certification Division . After 14 years in Product Certification he left the services of the SABS to start the company South African Technical Auditing Services ( SATAS ), the first privately-owned Product Certification Body in South Africa . He is still active as MD of the company .
26 DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021 //