§ 280.1011 - Accreditor personnel.

(a) General provisions. (1) The personnel of the Accreditor involved in accreditation shall be competent for the functions they perform.

(2) Information on the relevant qualifications, training and experience of each member of the personnel involved in the accreditation process shall be maintained by the Accreditor. Records of training and experience shall be kept up to date.

(3) Clearly documented instructions shall be available to the personnel describing their duties and responsibilities. These instructions shall be maintained up to date.

(b) Qualification criteria for auditors and technical experts. (1) In order to ensure that assessments are carried out effectively and uniformly, the minimum relevant criteria for competence shall be defined by the Accreditor.

(2) Auditors shall meet the requirements of the appropriate international documentation.

(3) Technical experts are not required to comply with the requirements for auditors, and guidance on their personal attributes may be obtained from appropriate international documentation.

(c) Selection procedure. (1) The Accreditor shall have a procedure for selecting auditors and, if applicable, technical experts on the basis of their competence, training, qualifications and experience, and for initially assessing the conduct of auditors and technical experts during assessments, and subsequently monitoring the performance of auditors and technical experts.

(2) When selecting the audit team to be appointed for a specific assessment, the Accreditor shall ensure that the skills brought to each assignment are appropriate. The team shall:

(i) Be familiar with the Act and this part, accreditation procedures and accreditation requirements;

(ii) Have a thorough knowledge of the relevant assessment method and assessment documents;

(iii) Have appropriate technical knowledge of the fastener technology for which accreditation is sought and, where relevant with associated procedures and their potential for failure (technical experts who are not auditors may fulfill this function);

(iv) Have a degree of understanding sufficient to make a reliable assessment of the competence of the accredited body to operate within its scope;

(v) Be able to communicate effectively, both in writing and orally, in the required languages.

(vi) Be free from any interest that might cause team members to act in other than an impartial or non-discriminatory manner, for example,

(A) Audit team members or their organization shall not have provided consulting services to the applicant or accredited body which compromise the accreditation process and decision; and

(B) In accordance with the directives of the Accreditor, the audit team members shall inform the Accreditor, prior to the assessment, about any existing, former or envisaged link between themselves or their organization and the body to be assessed.

(d) Contracting of assessment personnel. The Accreditor shall require the personnel involved in the assessment to sign a contract or other document by which they commit themselves to comply with the rules defined by the Accreditor, including those relating to confidentiality and those relating to independence from commercial and other interest, and any prior and/or present link with the bodies to be assessed. The Accreditor shall ensure that, and document how, any subcontracted assessment personnel satisfy all the requirements for personnel outlined in this subpart.

(e) Assessment personnel records. (1) The Accreditor shall possess and maintain up-to-date records on personnel conducting assessments, consisting of:

(i) Name and address;

(ii) Affiliation and position held in the organization;

(iii) Educational qualifications and professional status;

(iv) Experience and training in each field of competence of the Accreditor;

(v) Date of most recent updating of record; and

(vi) Performance appraisal.

(2) The Accreditor shall ensure, and verify, that any subcontracted body maintains records, which satisfy the requirements of this part, of assessment personnel who are subcontracted to the Accreditor.

(f) Procedures for assessment teams. Assessment teams shall be provided with up-to-date assessment instructions and all relevant information on accreditation arrangements and procedures.