§ 3282.356 - Disqualification and requalification of primary inspection agencies.

§ 3282.356 Disqualification and requalification of primary inspection agencies.

(a) The Secretary, based on monitoring reports or on other reliable information, may determine that a primary inspection agency which has been accepted under this subpart is not adequately carrying out one or more of its required functions. In so determining, the Secretary shall consider the impact of disqualification on manufacturers and other affected parties and shall seek to assure that the manufacturing process is not disrupted unnecessarily. Whenever the Secretary disqualifies a primary inspection agency under this section, the primary inspection agency shall have a right to a Formal or Informal Presentation of Views under subpart D of this part.

(b) Interested persons may petition the Secretary to disqualify a primary inspection agency under the provisions of § 3282.156(b).

(c) A primary inspection agency which has been disqualified under paragraph (a) may resubmit an application under § 3282.353. The submission shall include a full explanation of how problems or inadequacies which resulted in disqualifications have been rectified and how the primary inspection agency shall assure that such problems shall not recur.

(d) When appropriate, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register or otherwise make available to the public for comment a disqualified PIA's application for requalification, subject to the provisions of § 3282.54.

(e) Both provisional and final acceptance of any IPIA (or DAPIA) automatically expires at the end of any period of one year during which it has not acted as an IPIA (or DAPIA). An IPIA (or DAPIA) has not acted as such unless it has actively performed its services as an IPIA (or DAPIA) for at least one manufacturer by which it has been selected. An IPIA (or DAPIA) whose acceptance has expired pursuant to this section may resubmit an application under § 3282.353 in order to again be qualified as an IPIA (or DAPIA), when it can show a bona fide prospect of performing IPIA (or DAPIA) services.

[41 FR 19852, May 13, 1976, as amended at 45 FR 59311, Sept. 9, 1980; 51 FR 34468, Sept. 29, 1986]