§ 280.1111 - Registrar personnel.

(a) General provisions. (1) The personnel of the Registrar involved in registration 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 registration process shall be maintained by the Registrar. 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 Registrar.

(2) Auditors shall meet the requirements of the appropriate international documentation. For the assessment of a quality system, the relevant guidelines for auditing and the criteria for auditors are those defined in 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 by the appropriate international documentation.

(c) Selection procedure. (1) The Registrar 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 assessment and subsequently monitoring the performance of auditors and technical experts.

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

(i) Be familiar with the Act and this part, registration procedures and registration 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 registration 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 Facility to provide products, processes or services in its registered 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 fastener manufacturer whose Facility is registered which compromise the registration process and decision; and

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

(d) Contracting of assessment personnel. The Registrar 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 Registrar, including those relating to confidentiality and those relating to independence from commercial and other interests, and any prior and/or present link with the fastener manufacturers whose Facilities are to be assessed. The Registrar shall ensure that, and document how, any subcontracted assessment personnel satisfy all the requirements for assessment personnel outlined in this Subpart.

(e) Assessment personnel records. (1) The Registrar shall possess and maintain up-to-date records on assessment personnel, 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 Registrar;

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

(vi) Performance appraisal.

(2) The Registrar 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 Registrar.

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