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APLAC/PAC NEWS

NOTES

2015October

Welcome to the Joint APLAC/PAC Newsletter compiled by JAS-ANZ. Thank you to

every-one who has contributed the wide range of articles supporting the theme:

"How do you as AB support the delivery of health and social care?"

JAS-ANZ has over the last few years implemented a number of schemes supporting

health and social care. These include:

• Attendant Care Industry Certification Scheme (ACICS)

• Disability Employment and Enterprise Scheme (DEES)

• Human Services Quality Framework (HSQF) Scheme

• Human Services in Victoria (HSV) Scheme

• National Disabil ity Advocacy Program (NDAP)

• National Safety and Quality Health Services (NSQHS) Scheme

• Western Australian Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies (WANADA)

Scheme

This continues to be an area of increased interest with the scheme owners regularly

reviewing and increasing the requirements under the various schemes.

Since the last edition of APLAC News Notes, Michael Fraser has travelled to Cebu, The Philippines to attend the

APEC Third Senior Officials Meeting and Related Meetings (SOM 3) in September 2015. At SOM 3 Michael

attended the APEC Food Safety Cooperation Forum Partnership Training Institute Network Steering Committee

meeting, the Eighth Conference on Good Regulatory Practice and the Sub Committee on Standards and Conformance

meeting.

It is with some sadness that I announce that Trudi Charlton tendered her resignation and finished working for the

APLAC Secretariat on 15 September 2015. We wish Trudi the best for her future endeavours. The Secretariat has

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already advertised for a replacement and will be conducting interviews in October 2015.

Amy Cucksey has agreed to work for the APLAC Secretariat on a part time basis until we can appoint a replacement

for Trudi.

Janet is currently on extended leave as she recuperates from her medical treatment. She has responded well to her

treatment and is in regular communication with the APLAC Secretariat and her NATA work colleagues. We wish

Janet a speedy recovery and a return to full health.

21st APLAC General Assembly

After much planning we held a successful second APLAC/PAC Joint Annual Meetings in Colombo, Sri Lanka from

the 13th to 20th June 2015.

We would like to thank our hosts, SLAB, Sri Lanka; Mr Thilak Wickremasinghe and his staff for their hospitality and

the organization of a very successful week of meetings.

The second Joint APLAC/PAC General Assembly was held on the 19 June and it was pleasing to welcome delegates

from many economies and accreditation bodies as well as Mr Kanama Viki Mbuya Victor, SADCA Chair.

The APLAC MRA Council met on 17 June and we are pleased to advise that BAB (Bangladesh) was accepted into the

APLAC MRA as a signatory for calibration.

We are pleased to advise that the scopes of recognition of the following members were extended:

• BLQS DMSc (Thailand) to include PMP;

• BLA DSS (Thailand) to include PTP and RMP;

• IANZ (New Zealand) to include PTP and RMP;

• Standards Malaysia (Malaysia) to include Inspection;

The signatory status of the following members was also continued:

• BLQS DMSc (Thailand) for testing and ISO 15189;

• BLA DSS (Thailand) for testing;

• IANZ (New Zealand) for testing, calibration and ISO 15189;

• PNGLAS (Papua New Guinea) for testing.

There are now 37 signatories to the APLAC MRA from 23 economies including 34 for testing, 27 for calibration, 17

for inspection, 16 for ISO 15189, 13 for RMP and 10 for PTP. Full details of the scopes of recognition for each of the

APLAC MRA signatories can be found on the APLAC website: www.aplac.org

The 21st APLAC General Assembly was held on 18 and 19 June and the main issues from that meeting were as

follows:

• elections of APLAC office bearers (for details see below);

• endorsement of funding for a RMP and PTP training workshop in 2016;

• endorsement of funding for six proficiency testing schemes due for completion and six proficiency testing

schemes due for commencement in 2016;

• endorsement of the APLAC budget for 2016;

• amendment to APLAC’s voting rules to allow for one vote per Full Member.

Mr Barry Ashcroft, IANZ, New Zealand tendered his resignation from the Board of Management in May 2015 and Ms

Jennifer Evans was elected unopposed to fill the casual vacancy on the Board of Management created by his

resignation.

Following the elections held in June 2015, the members of the APLAC Board of Management are as follows:

Mr Nigel Jou (Chair) TAF (Chinese Taipei)

Ms Roxanne Robinson (MRA Council Chair) A2LA (USA)

Ms Jennifer Evans NATA (Australia)

Mr Isao Fujita* IAJapan (Japan)

Mr Anil Relia+ NABL (India)

Mr Shaharul Sadri Alwi* Standards Malaysia (Malaysia)

Mr Yoshinobu Uematsu+ JAB (Japan)

Mr Wong Wang Wah HKAS (Hong Kong, China)

Mr Yannapat Uthongsap+ NSC-ONSC (Thailand)

* The terms of Messrs Isao Fujita and Shaharul Sadri Alwi commence on 1 January 2016.

* The terms of Messrs Yoshinobu Uematsu and Yannapat Uthongsap end on 31 December 2015.

The APLAC Committee Chairs remain as:

Proficiency Testing Dr Koichi Nara (IAJapan, Japan)

Public Information Ms Tadako Yamamoto (IAJapan, Japan)

Technical Mr Trace McInturff (A2LA, USA)

Training Ms Zhang Mingxia (CNAS, People’s Republic of China)

Training Courses

Upcoming workshops and training courses are as follows:

• RMP and PTP training workshops for 2016, details are yet to be finalised

Future APLAC events

The next MRA Council meeting will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 6 to 7 January 2016. An Extraordinary

General Assembly will also be conducted following the MRA Council meeting to approve the revision to the APLAC

Constitution on Thursday 7 January. Members will receive formal notification early in October in relation to meeting

registration.

Best regards and see you in Bangkok.

Michael

In February 2015, PAC Secretary Belinda Mort took over as Chair of the APEC SCSC Specialist Regional Bodies

Forum, for a 12 month tenure. In this capacity, during September she attended the APEC Third Senior Officials

Meeting in Cebu.

The Secretariat has undergone its annual Internal Audit, ably conducted by Wilson Shum of HKAS, with Mohan

Sabaratnam of IAS (PAC Quality Manager) also participating. A number of areas were identified for further work by

the Continuous Improvement WG.

The PAC Executive Committee (EC) and MLA Management Committee (MLAMC) will be meeting in Milan, just

before the main meetings commence. The Secretariat is pleased to announce, on behalf of the EC, that a MoU with

our fellow regional body ARAC, has been finalised and will be signed in Milan during the Joint IAF/ILAC GA.

From PAC Secretariat

30th

Anniversary of Hong Kong Accreditation Service

2015 marks the 30th Anniversary of Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS). On 20 May 1985, we were

established as an accreditation body for laboratories under the name of Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation

Scheme (HOKLAS). In the beginning, there were only 3 staff members running the programme. As the economy of

Hong Kong developed rapidly in the nineties, there were strong demands for reliable certification and inspection

services. In response, HKAS was established in 1998 through the expansion of HOKLAS to provide accreditation

service to certification bodies. In the following year, the service of HKAS was further expanded to cover

accreditation of inspection bodies. Now, the scope of service provided by HKAS covers all types of conformity

assessment activities needed by the Hong Kong community. HKAS also experienced a significant increase in

manpower in 2009. Now, HKAS is staffed with 38 members to provide effective and efficient accreditation service

to the community. We cannot afford to be complacent about our achievements. We will continue to strike our best

serve the needs of the community.

Milestones of HKAS Certification Body Accreditation

Year 1995

20 May 1995

Launching of Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme

(HOKLAS) on 20 May 1985.

Year 1998 November 1998

Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS) was established through the

expansion of HOKLAS to certification body accreditation. A new

accreditation scheme for certification bodies, the Hong Kong

Certification Body Accreditation Scheme (HKCAS) was launched in

1998 together with the birth of HKAS in the same year.

Year 20

November 2003

HKAS has joined the PAC MLA (Pacific Accreditation Cooperation

Multilateral Recognition Arrangement) for accreditation of Quality

Management System on 27 November 2003.

Year 2004

October 2004

In the ILAC and IAF General Assemblies and conferences held in Cape

Town, South Africa in October 2004, HKAS became a signatory to the

IAF Multilateral Mutual Recognition (MLA) for accreditation of

certification bodies for Quality Management System (QMS)

Certification on 9 October 2004. Mr Tommy Fung represented HKAS in

signing the IAF MLA for QMS.

Year 2011

July 2011

HKAS became a signatory to the IAF and PAC MLA for accreditation of certification bodies for Environmental

Management System (EMS) Certification and Product Certification.

Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS)

Year 2011

Guests of Honour of the PAC Plenary Meeting 2012

Opening Ceremony cum Seminar

June 2012

HKAS hosted the 19th PAC Plenary Meeting from 16

to 23 June 2012. There were more than 100 overseas

delegates from PAC member economies registered for

the PAC Plenary Meeting 2012, which was the record

high. Events that took place during the week of the

PAC Plenary Meeting 2012 comprised an opening

ceremony cum seminar, executive meetings,

committee meetings, plenary meeting and training

courses.

Year 2014

August 2014

On invitation by the Secretary for Commerce and

Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, Mr

Randy Dougherty, Chairman of the International

Accreditation Forum (IAF) visited Hong Kong on 10-

16 August 2014.

Mr Randy Dougherty, Chair of IAF, and HKAS

Accreditation Advisory Board Members

Year 2015

Mr Wong Wang-wah, Executive Administrator of HKAS

represented HKAS in signing the PAC MLA for GHG

validation and verification

June 2015

HKAS became a signatory to the PAC MLA for

accreditation of validation / verification bodies for

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) validation and verification.

HKAS Accreditation Advisory Board Chair Awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star of the Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region

The 2015 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Honours List was published in the Government

Gazette on 1 July 2015, the HKSAR Establishment Day. This is the 18th full Honours List since Hong Kong's return to

China. The Honours recipients are from different walks of life. They are given an honour or award in recognition of

their significant contributions to Hong Kong or for their dedicated public and community service.

Professor Vivian YAM Wing-wah, Chairlady of Accreditation Advisory Board (AAB) of HKAS, is on the 2015

Honours List and awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS) for her distinguished achievement and significant

contributions to scientific research, particularly in the field of chemistry.

Professor YAM is the Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professor in Chemistry and Energy of the University of Hong Kong.

She is one of the most renowned scientists in the field of chemistry. In recognition of her significant contributions to

scientific research in chemistry, particularly in organic/organometallic chemistry, photochemistry, luminescent

materials, molecular functional materials and solar energy conversion, she received a number of prestigious awards

from national and international associations and institutions.

She was elected as a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) (中國科學院院士) in 2001 and was the

youngest member of the Academy. She was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World in

2006 and a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences USA in 2012.

Other distinguished awards that Professor YAM has received include State National Science Award (Second Class

Award) in 2005, the Centenary Lectureship & Medal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, in 2006, the Lectureship

Award for Asian and Oceanian Photochemist (Eikohsha Award) of the Japanese Photochemistry Association in 2006,

the L’Oreal-UNESCO1 for Women in Science Award in 2011, and the Ludwig Mond Award of the Royal Society of

Chemistry, UK in 2015.

With her very distinguished achievements, she has raised the profile of Hong Kong in the area of scientific research

internationally.

Apart from her academic achievements, Professor YAM has also taken on a number of community services and

contributed much to the society of Hong Kong. She is currently the Chairlady of AAB; a member of the Administrative

Appeals Board, HKSAR; and a member of the Hong Kong Council for Testing and Certification.

As the AAB Chair, she has provided insightful advice to the Government on matters related to the accreditation of

conformity assessment bodies. During her chairmanship, the accreditation service of HKAS has expanded to cover the

following new areas:

• Accreditation for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Validation and Verification (in December 2012);

• Energy Management System Certification (in December 2012);

• Certification of Management System of Residential Care Home (Elderly Person) Service Providers (in June

2013);

• Certification of quality and environmental management systems in new areas (in June 2013);

• Accreditation of GHG Verification Bodies for Verification of GHG Assertions at Product Level (in June

2014); and

• Accreditation of Hong Kong testing laboratories under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic

Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) Supplement IX and X (in February 2013 & July 2014 respectively).

She has assisted HKAS in dealing with both technical and non-technical issues related to the expansion of service

scope of accreditation to these new areas. HKAS has experienced a period fast expansion with her invaluable

contribution.

Under Professor YAM’s chairmanship, HKAS also obtained signatory status to the Asia Pacific Laboratory

Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for Accreditation of Proficiency

Testing Providers (PTPs) in June 2014. Besides, HKAS also successfully organised the 34th APLAC MRA Council

Meeting and the first Extraordinary General Assembly in Hong Kong on 8-9 (am) January 2015. Both meetings were

conducted successfully with participation of about 50 delegates from more than 30 economies.

[1]

Professor Yam was honoured as Laureate of the 13th

L'Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Awards 2011 for

her contributions in light-emitting materials and

innovative ways of capturing solar energy. The awards

ceremony took place on March 3, 2011 at UNESCO

Headquarters in Paris. Each year, five outstanding women

scientists - one per continent - are honoured for the

contributions of their research, the strength of their

commitments and their impact on society. Professor Yam

is the laureate of the Asia Pacific region.

Professor Vivian YAM, Chairlady of Accreditation Advisory

Board, HKAS

HKAS plays a part in contributing to the healthcare of Hong Kong people

Most medical laboratories of Hong Kong had not heard of accreditation before 2004. In February 2004, soon after

the first publication of ISO15189, an accreditation programme for local medical laboratories was launched. Most

medical laboratories and professionals in the field were facing this challenge with excitement as well as unease.

Whilst understanding that accreditation was the world trend and that getting accreditation could be a great drive to

improve laboratory services vital for the delivery of quality healthcare service, not many people in the field had

ventured into this area and there was little understanding what accreditation could help to achieve.

“Will the setup of a quality system be an enormous task?”

“Will accreditation add an unbearably high cost to my laboratory’s operation?”

“Will my staff be able to meet the competence requirement for accreditation?”

“My clients know that my laboratory is good and I have enough business. Why do I have to seek accreditation?”

All these concerns find their way to people’s mind as reasons to wait and see. HKAS is fully aware of these

concerns, and is dedicated to work hand in hand with laboratories to explore and continually improve the

accreditation system. Seminars and workshops were arranged to increase medical laboratory professionals’

acceptance of accreditation and help solving their misunderstanding of accreditation requirements. The Hong Kong

College of Pathologists, our MOU partner and great supporter of the medical testing accreditation programme, also

helps HKAS in various occasions promoting medical testing accreditation. To harmonize the degree of assessment

rigor, seminars were organised to discuss feedback from laboratories. Such seminar also serves as a platform of

direct exchange between assessors and laboratories. Speakers were invited from overseas to enlighten our laboratory

practitioners on technical issues that bother them. As time goes, this gradually comes to light. HKAS’ accreditation

programme for medical testing has generally been accepted as an invaluable programme that helps laboratories to

improve and increase users’ confidence in the test results. HKAS became one of the eight inaugural signatories of

APLAC MRA to ISO 15189, further boosting the creditability of the programme. There have also been incidents that

help showing the value of accreditation to laboratories and why a quality system is necessary.

The number of accredited laboratories is growing steadily. At present, all the pathology laboratories in the public

sector have been accredited, and more and more laboratories in the private sector are getting ready to join the

accreditation community. To remind the public of the value of accreditation, advertorials were regularly arranged in

local newspapers. Mr. Randy Dougherty, chairman of International Accreditation Forum, also appeared in a local

newspaper in July this year, talking about the importance of accreditation in the healthcare sector when he was

invited to give a presentation about the theme of this year’s World Accreditation Day. Accreditation does help to

support the delivery of high quality healthcare services, and HKAS is exploring the extension of this accreditation

programme to other medical testing services than pathology testing, but more public education through various

channels on the additional degree of assurance offered by accredited laboratory services is still required to spread

this message.

Prof Annie Cheung, President of the Hong Kong College of Pathologists, helps promoting accreditation on the World

Accreditation Day 2015

Technical seminars are regularly organised to enhance the competence of laboratory practitioners

Advertorials are arranged on local newspapers to promote accreditation

Supports the Delivery of Residential Care Home Service for Elderly in Hong Kong

According to the Hong Kong Population Projection 2012-2041 published by the Census and Statistics Department of

the Hong Kong Government in July 2012, it is projected that the population aged 65 or above will rise from 13 % of

the total population in 2011 to 30 % in 2041. In this respect, the demand for residential care home service for

elderly (RCHE) in Hong Kong will increase significantly in the coming years. In addition, over the years, the

heightened public awareness and concern over service quality of RCHE has driven many RCHE service providers in

Hong Kong to obtain certifications from third-party certification bodies for demonstrating their commitment in

providing quality services.

The accreditation of certification bodies for certification of management system of RCHE service providers would

provide formal recognition to accredited certification bodies and assure their competences. It would indirectly

enhance service quality of RCHE service providers those management systems were certified by accredited

certification bodies. In response, Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS) launched a new accreditation service

under Hong Kong Certification Body Accreditation Scheme (HKCAS) for certification bodies providing

management system certification to RCHE service providers in June 2013.

To ensure that the accreditation service is acceptable and useful to all stakeholders, there is a task force established

under the HKAS Accreditation Advisory Board (AAB) Working Party on Accreditation of Certification Bodies to

provide advice on the development and operation of the accreditation programme. The Task Force consists of

representatives from government departments, academic institutions, practitioners and other stakeholder groups.

An HKCAS Supplementary Criteria (HKCAS SC-12) was published to spell out the specific accreditation

requirements for certification of management system of RCHE Service Providers. To obtain accreditation, a

certification body shall conform to ISO/IEC 17021-1: 2015, HKCAS SC-12 and other relevant HKAS and HKCAS

Supplementary Criteria.

The first accreditation for certification of management system of RCHE Service Providers was granted to Hong

Kong Association of Gerontology – Accreditation Division (HKAG–AD) in June 2014.

The Chairlady of HKAS AAB presented the accreditation certificate to the first accredited certification body (HKAG–AD).

ISO 9001 certification survey from Hong Kong Government

The Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative

Region (Government) will host the 31st Plenary Meeting of Technical Committee 176 of the International

Organisation for Standardisation (ISO/TC 176) in Hong Kong in November 2015.

ISO 9001: 2008 ‘Quality Management Systems – Requirements’, a standard developed by ISO/TC 176, is one of the

most widely used ISO standards around the world and in Hong Kong. Some Government bureaux/departments and

local companies have obtained ISO 9001 certification.

To facilitate the understanding on the current ISO 9001 certification situation of the Government, ITC conducted a

survey in early 2015 to seek advice on whether various Bureaux/Departments have obtained ISO 9001 certification.

Among the 77 relevant Bureaux and Departments responded to the survey, 17 (about 22%) indicated they are

holding valid ISO 9001 certification and almost all certifications are granted by certification bodies accredited by

Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS).

HKAS grants accreditation to competent certification bodies through Hong Kong Certification Body Accreditation

Scheme (HKCAS). Currently, HKAS offers accreditation to various management system certification including

QMS, EMS, OHSMS, FSMS, etc…. HKAS also offers accreditation to Product Certification for construction

products through HKCAS. Since 2010, The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA), as the main public housing

provider, has specified the requirement of using certified products for ten major building materials and components

in its construction projects. For details of operation of HKCAS and the directory of HKAS accredited certification

bodies, please visit HKAS website at Innovation and Technology Commission

'Seminar on Research and Develop of Chinese Medicines 2015' in Hong Kong

A two-day seminar on research and development (R&D) of Chinese Medicines organised by the Committee on

Research and Development of Chinese Medicines in conjunction with the Department of Health of the Hong Kong

SAR Government, Hospital Authority and the Hong Kong Council for Testing and Certification was held on 10 - 11

September 2015. The Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ms Annie CHOI officiated at the event.

The Seminar covered a wide range of important topics, such as regulations and registration of proprietary Chinese

medicines in the Hong Kong, Mainland and overseas markets, Chinese medicines quality, safety and new

technologies, as well as management of digestive diseases with Chinese and integrative medicine.

The Executive Administrator of HKAS, Mr W W Wong, was one of the speakers. His presentation was on

‘Accreditation Service for Testing and Certification of Chinese Medicines’. In his presentation, Mr Wong introduced

to the audience the purpose and value of accreditation, the accreditation process, the range of accreditation service

provided by HKAS for testing and certification of Chinese medicines as well as the international recognition of

accredited testing and certification services. The presentation also touched upon laboratory testing of proprietary

Chinese medicines for registration in Hong Kong, and testing of Chinese herbal medicines for safety and quality

evaluation.

The presentation was well received by the audience and HKAS will continue its effort to promote accreditation as

well as the benefits of accredited services to the general public.

Group photo of the speakers and organisers of the ‘Seminar on Research and Development of Chinese Medicines’ in

Hong Kong

Chief Secretary visits HKAS

The Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited the Innovation

and Technology Commission on 4 June 2015 to gain a deeper understanding of its work.

Mrs Lam started the visit by receiving a briefing from the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Miss Janet

Wong, and the directorate staff on the work of the Commission and the scope of services provided by its various

work sections, including Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS). Mr Wong Wang-wah, Executive Administrator

of HKAS gave a presentation on HKAS.

On her visit to HKAS, she noted that it is the official accreditation body in Hong Kong responsible for providing

accreditation service to local conformity assessment bodies for recognition of their competence in undertaking

specific conformity assessment activities including testing, inspection and certification through various accreditation

schemes. It also concludes mutual recognition arrangements with accreditation bodies in other economies to promote

worldwide recognition of conformity assessment results issued by local accredited bodies to support Hong Kong's

external trade. She was specifically briefed on the service offered by HKAS in the accreditation of laboratories

performing food and Chinese medicine testing as well as proficiency testing providers and reference material

producers.

During the visit, Mrs Lam talked with officers of HKAS and commended them for delivering services in a dedicated

and professional manner. She also encouraged them to continue their good work in providing a well recognised

accreditation service to the local community.

Advisor to the Chief Executive on Innovation and Technology visits HKAS

Mr Nicholas W Yang, Advisor to the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR on Innovation and Technology visited

Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS) on 5 June 2015. Mr Yang is also the chairman of the Advisory

Committee on Innovation and Technology, which advises the Government on the strategic and developmental

enhancements of innovation and technology (I&T) in Hong Kong. The Committee discusses a range of topics

including strategic social and economic goals, collaboration with the Mainland China and other economies in I&T,

means to attract I&T investments and development of the talent pool.

During his visit, Mr Wong Wang-wah, Executive Administrator of HKAS, briefed Mr Yang on the work of HKAS

such as its objectives, services, accreditation schemes and programmes, its participation in regional and international

mutual recognition arrangements and its active participation in the international accreditation community for seeking

recognition of Hong Kong conformity assessment results. HKAS also supports the Hong Kong Council for the

Testing and Certification by providing a robust accreditation system to uphold the standard of the testing and

certification industry in Hong Kong.

‘Seminar on the World Metrology Day (WMD), the World Accreditation Day (WAD) and the World

Standards Day (WSD) 2015’ in Hong Kong

On 29 May 2015, Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS), Standards and Calibration Laboratory (SCL) and

Product Standards Information Bureau (PSIB) of the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the Hong

Kong SAR Government, the Hong Kong Council for Testing and Certification (HKCTC) and the Government

Laboratory (GL) jointly organised the ‘Seminar on the World Metrology Day (WMD), World Accreditation Day

(WAD), and World Standards Day (WSD) 2015’ in Hong Kong.

This seminar was a key event of the Hong Kong SAR Government for celebrating the WMD, WAD and WSD

2015. The aim was to raise public awareness on the importance of accreditation, metrology and standards.

We were delighted to have the Chairman of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), Mr Randy Dougherty, the

formal Secretary of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM), Dr Robert Kaarls, and the

Regional Director of the International Electrotechnical Commission Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (IEC-APRC), Mr

Dennis Chew, as our honourable guest speakers.

Seminar Celebrating the WMD, WAD and WSD 2015 in Hong Kong (from left to right: Mr Y C Yip, Dr Della Sin, Mr Dennis

Chew, Mr Randy Dougherty, Mr Johann Wong, Prof Vivian Yam, Dr Robert Kaarls, Mr W W Wong, Mr Y K Yan)

The seminar was well attended by nearly 200 participants. In his welcome remarks, Mr Johann Wong, Deputy

Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, ITC, expressed that the Government had long recognised the

importance of metrology, accreditation and standards to the economy of Hong Kong. As early as mid-1980s, the

Government rolled out the accreditation and SI-traceable calibration services. Since then, a wide range of high-

quality accreditation and calibration services have been developed to meet the many different needs of the industry

and the community.

Dr Della Sin, Assistant Government Chemist, GL, delivered the opening remarks by introducing the main

components of a quality infrastructure, i.e. accreditation, metrology and standards and their significance in

supporting free trade and commerce, public health and safety as well as upholding law and order. She also briefed

the audience on the efforts made by GL over the years in building up a local scientific infrastructure for supporting

international measurement equivalence in the field of metrology in chemistry and in fulfilling its obligations as a

designated institute by disseminating traceability to local laboratories through its certified reference material

production and proficiency testing programmes.

Honourable guest speakers then in turn shared with the participants the role of metrology, accreditation and

standards under the respective themes of WMD, WAD and WSD 2015:

WMD 2015: Measurements and Light

WAD 2015: Accreditation: Supporting the Delivery of Health and Social Care

WSD 2015: Standards - the World's Common Language

The theme of this year’s WMD is ‘Measurement and Light’, which was chosen to align with the UN International

Year of Light and Light-based technologies 2015, a global initiative designed to highlight the key role light and

optical technologies play in our daily lives and their importance for our future and for the sustainable development

of the society we live in. Dr Robert Kaarls briefed that in view of the global trends towards sustainable economy,

increased competitiveness, innovation and well being, there is a growing demand for traceable and comparable

measurements in all fields. He introduced the the seven SI base units and the planned redefinition of them in terms of

fundamental constants by the 26th General Conference on Weights and Measues (CGPM) in 2018. He also gave a

brief overview of some innovative measurement standards and methods and the importance and application of light

measurements. In the healthcare regime, Dr Kaarls provided examples on the need to improve reliability and

comparability through traceability of clinical diagnostic and microbial examination results. He also introduced the

role of the Joint Committee on Traceability in Laboratory Medicine (JCTLM) in providing a worldwide platform to

promote and give guidance on internationally recognized and accepted equivalence of measurements in Laboratory

Medicine and traceability to appropriate measurement standards as well as the JCTLM database of reference

materials for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) measurements.

Mr. W W Wong, Executive Administrator of HKAS

Dr Robert Kaarls, Former Secretary of CIPM

Mr Randy Dougherty briefed the seminar participants on the objectives and work of IAF and the International

Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), including their role as central bodies for harmonizing conformity

assessment best practice and supporting world trade by eliminating technical barriers. Mr Dougherty emphasized

the importance of IAF MLA and ILAC MRA in providing global recognition of accreditation and maintaining

confidence in accredited conformity assessment results leading to their worldwide acceptance. He further explained

how the ISO CASCO set of international standards laid the foundation for the recognition and acceptance process.

He also provided examples to illustrate how accreditation provided assurance and confidence in the provision of

medical testing and product certification services, giving due consideration to the local situation of Hong Kong.

Mr Randy Dougherty, Chair of IAF

Mr Dennis Chew was the third seminar speaker and his presentation echoed the theme of this year’s WSD,

Standards – the World's Common Language. Mr Chew provided an interesting example, a symbol signifying

standby power as stipulated in IEC 60417-5009, to kick-start his presentation to explain how standards provide a

common language for the world to communicate. Standards set out common rules and parameters so that people,

products, parts, etc. can work with each other. He further briefed the audience about IEC, which is a non-profit

making organisation founded in 1906 and is the leading global organization that publishes consensus-based

International Standards and manages conformity assessment systems for electric and electronic products, systems

and services. The products covered by IEC Standards are diverse, ranging from systems for electricity generation

and supply, home appliances to electric cables and wires. Standards build acceptance of products in the global

market, improve product safety and performance, save time and money, and much more. Mr Chew also introduced

the IEC Conformity Assessment (CA) Systems, the third party CA systems administered by IEC. The systems,

including the IECEE (System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrotechnical Equipment and

Components), assess if electrical and electronic components, equipment and systems meet IEC International

Standards. The IEC CA Systems collectively bring together thousands of testing laboratories which have issued

over 1 million certificates that are accepted and used by most countries worldwide, ensuring performance and

interoperability of relevant products, creating a level playing field for all participants and facilitating world trade.

Mr Dennis Chew, Regional Director of IEC-Asia Pacific Regional Centre

In the second half of the seminar, representatives of HKAS and local metrology institutes i.e. SCL and GL,

respectively delivered talks on accreditation, physical and chemical metrology. Mr WW Wong, Executive

Administrator of HKAS, was pleased to announce that this year was the 30th anniversary of HKAS. He took the

opportunity to provide a brief history of HKAS, as well as its major achievements so far. Mr Wong also briefed the

audience on the accreditation service provided by HKAS in support of the delivery of health and social care,

including accreditation of medical laboratories and certification of organisations providing Residential Care Home

for the Elderly (RCHE) management system certification.

Dr Y C Yip, Senior Chemist of GL, introduced the Metrology-in-Chemistry activities undertaken by GL at both the

CIPM Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance – Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM) and the

Asia Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP) levels. He also shared GL’s experience in the organisation of

proficiency testing programmes, particularly those involving metrologically traceable reference values, and reference

material production.

Mr Y K Yan, Senior Electronics Engineer of SCL, gave a vivid introduction of light, the theme of this year’s WMD,

including the science of light, the application of light in modern technologies such as communications,

manufacturing of integrated circuits, use of laser in surgery, use of solar energy to combat energy crisis, etc. Mr Yan

also provided a number of examples illustrating the use of light in measurements, such as defining length standard,

optical clock, etc. Finally Mr Yan gave a brief introduction of the work of SCL in maintaining the physical

measurement standards for Hong Kong.

Last but not least, Professor Annie Cheung, President of the Hong Kong College of Pathologists – a strong supporter

and partner of HKAS in its medical accreditation programme, shared with the seminar participants the role of her

College in supporting accreditation of local medical laboratories. She also explained in details the responsibilities

and significance of the role of pathologists in ensuring the reliability of medical testing results and service.

In view of the positive feedback of the seminar, HKAS will endeavour to explore the possibility of organising

similar event again.

The Standby Power Symbol in IEC 60417-5009

"How do you as AB support the delivery of health and social care?"

The Philippine Accreditation Bureau of the Department of Trade and Industry (PAB-DTI) was established to handle

the accreditation of inspection bodies, certification bodies, calibration and testing laboratories, and other bodies

offering conformity assessment services needed by the country. The PAB-DTI is also a member and signatory to the

Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) of International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and Asia

Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC); and to the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) of

International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC).

In support of the delivery of health and social care in the Philippines, the Philippine Accreditation Bureau provides

accreditation in the field of Medical Testing in accordance with ISO/15189:2012 to bring consistent high quality care

and reliable outcomes that meet expectations and can be trusted by patients. We have accredited six (6) medical testing

laboratories in the fields of Bacteriology (inoculation of cultures; identification of organisms; etc.); Parasitology

(definitive identification of parasites, etc.); Immunology (simple slide tests for biochemical and immunological

analyses; rheumatoic factor-quantitative assays; etc.); General Chemistry (proteins; qualitative and semi-quantitative

analysis; including by electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis; etc.).

PAB-DTI supports the celebration of the World Accreditation Day, declared by the International Accreditation

Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) every June 9 of the year. For

this year’s theme "ACCREDITATION: Supporting the Delivery of Health and Social Care", PAB-DTI conducted a

one-day orientation on "ISO 15189: Medical Laboratories - Requirements for Quality and Competence" on June

09, 2015 at the Department of Trade and Industry, International Trade Building, Makati City, Philippines. This

orientation program gave an overview of ISO 15189, the international standard on the requirements for Quality and

Competence for Medical Laboratories. This activity aims to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation

especially in the field of Medical Testing to support of the delivery of health and social care. It brought together

government and private medical laboratories, hospitals and the technical assessors and experts on accreditation to

emphasize the purpose of health and social care accreditation and the benefits that accreditation provides for

The Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB)

regulators, health and social care providers and for patients and consumer organizations.

The event was attended by 64 participants from government organizations such as Philippine General Hospital, San

Lazaro Hospital, Ospital ng Maynila, Philippine Heart Center. Also from private sectors like Makati Medical Center,

Pacific Global, The Medical City and Singapore Diagnostics which are all involved in health and social care sectors.

Accredited Laboratories such as National Kidney Transplant Institute and Laboratory of Computer Medicine Inc. were

also invited and shared their own experiences where they highlighted the values and benefits of being an accredited

laboratory of PAB. Even some technical assessors and experts shared their own expertise and experience as being a

qualified assessor in the area of assessing medical laboratories.

There is consistent evidence that shows that accreditation programs improve the process of care provided by healthcare

services and should be supported as a tool to improve the quality of healthcare services.

A successful seminar held in Tokyo to share how we can support the delivery of health and social care

On July 29, 2015, Japan Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (JLAC) of Japan Accreditation Council (JAC) hosted

an enthusiastically received seminar to celebrate World Accreditation Day 2015 entitled "Accreditation: Delivering

confidence in Health & Social Care" with a keynote speaker Mr. Lal Ilan, Accreditation Development Manager of

United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) on the session titled “UKAS Accreditation for Inspection of Social

Care Providers.” Nearly 150 participants representing healthcare facilities, conformity assessment bodies such as

testing and calibration laboratories, manufacturers and regulators gathered in Shinagawa, Tokyo drawing the full

capacity of the venue.

The seminar program started with a welcome opening remark by Mr. Naotake Fujishiro, Director for Standardization

Policy, Standards and Conformity Assessment Policy Division, Industrial Science and Technology Policy and

Environment Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) after Mr. Hideyuki Ota, Chief Executive,

IAJapan provided greeting note on behalf of JLAC.

The keynote session by Mr. Ilan begun with an introduction of his organisation, UKAS followed by the history of its

accreditation scheme of the care provider service which begun in 1992 as accreditation of the pathological research

institute by Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA) which was merged to UKAS in 2009. While Mr. Ilan explained

that relevant international standards of the UKAS accreditation services for medical diagnosis are ISO 15189, ISO

22870, ISO 17043, ISO 13485, ISO 9000 and ISO/IEC 17025, most standards of CPA are based on ISO 15189.

In 2013, UKAS developed a pilot program of the accreditation for the inspection bodies which carries out the

inspection of the social care provider. Based on the experience and the result gained from this pilot program, UKAS

provides accreditation service for the inspection bodies in the field of Adult Social Care Providers, for example,

residential care homes, domiciliary care, mental health, dementia, nursing and learning difficulties.

Ms. Yumiko Watanabe, Director of Division for Health Care and Long-term Care Integration Health Insurance Bureau,

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) spoke about “Establishment of community general care systems and

integrated reform of medical / nursing care services.”

Mr. Masatoshi Hirai of Healthcare Industries Division, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau, METI spoke about

METI’s Medical Device Industries Policy which sets the medical care industry as propulsive industry in order to

actively develop and promote the strengthening of R&D and oversea expansion.

From healthcare facility’s perspective, Dr. Yutaka Ando, Director of Research Center Hospital for Charged Particle

Therapy, National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) spoke about “Approaches to ISMS in Hospital

Information System with IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise).”

IAJapan, JAB, JIPDEC and VLAC

The “Latest Updates and Future of Accrediting Certification Bodies for Medical Devices Quality Management

Systems” was explained by Ms Azusa Nakagawa, Management System Manager, Accreditation Center, Japan

Accreditation Board (JAB) while Mr. Katsuji Shimoda Medical Laboratory Testing Accreditation Program Manager,

Accreditation Center, JAB provided the “Latest Updates and Future of Medical Laboratories Accreditation.”

The seminar survey result was very positive as 84% of participant was very satisfied or satisfied and many

participants responded that the seminar contents were valuable, especially the keynote speech by Mr. Lal

Ilan who provided opportunity for participants to learn about development of accreditation program for

inspection of social care providers.

JLAC Technical Information Seminar held on July 29, 2015

CNAS Signs Agreements with Nine Economies

On celebrating 2015 World Accreditation Day and the launching ceremony of “Vision and Actions on Jointly

Promoting Cooperation of Certification and Accreditation in Building Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century

Maritime Silk Road”, China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) signs the bilateral

agreements respectively with the GCC Accreditation Center (GAS), Danish Accreditation (DANAK) and Mongolian

Agency for Standardization and Metrology (MASM).

As the significant target economies for exporting product and engineer technology service, GCC region (including

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Yemen), Denmark and Mongolia are also

defined as the major importing economies for the resource. The signed bilateral agreement facilitates the systematic

long-term mechanism between our China and the above-mentioned economies in relation to the accredited bilateral

cooperation, which further pushes the accreditation technology exchange and cooperation between both sides in the

fields of testing, inspection and certification and also lays a foundation for adoption of the accreditation results and

accredited testing, inspection and certification results on the basis of multilateralism and mutual recognition. The

signed bilateral agreements are regarded as a significant result on the 8th World Accreditation Day.

China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS)

CNAS now has signed the bilateral agreements respectively with America, Britain, German, France, Netherlands,

Japan, Korea, Uzbekistan, Greece and Indonesia. CNAS also signed the bilateral agreement with the accreditation

bodies covering nine economies to further expand and strengthen the cooperation network between CNAS and the

economies along the Silk Road Economic Belt; for that reason, accreditation fully plays an positive role in building

Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative, reduction of technical barriers to trade and guarantee of good operation

environment and trade liberalization, which also provides technical support for promoting connectivity along the

economies along the Silk Road Economic Belt.

Copyright © 2015 JAS-ANZ, All rights reserved.

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