Volunteer technical assessors needed for laboratory accreditation program

Ottawa, ON April 22, 2003 The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is currently seeking interested parties to become volunteer technical assessors within its Program for Accreditation of Laboratories-Canada (PALCAN).

The key responsibilities of a technical assessor include: working with a team to assess the conformance of testing laboratories with international standards to affect the quality of test results and records; planning and carrying out assigned responsibilities effectively and efficiently; documenting non-conformities and observations and reporting the assessment results to the assessment team leader; verifying the effectiveness of corrective actions taken as a result of the assessment; safeguarding documents pertaining to the assessment; submitting such documents as required and ensuring the confidentiality of same; treating privileged information with discretion and cooperating with and supporting the team leader.

Technical assessors are required in the following areas:

– Occupational Health and Safety
– Ladders
– SCBA
– Scaffolding
– Protective Clothing
– Electrical Products
– HVAC
– Medical products
– Appliances
– Scientific instruments
– Physical /Mechanical
– Tensile
– Compression
– Impact
– Hardness
– Life Sciences
– Toxicology
– Microbiology (Organisms)
– Molecular Biology
– Textiles
– Protective clothing
– Head Protection
– Plumbing Products
– Chemistry of Plastics
– Construction Materials
– Automotive Testing
– Energy efficiency
– Fasteners

The following outlines what is expected of a volunteer technical assessor:

– The ability and willingness to meet and respect deadlines and follow SCC procedures, directives and terms of reference;

– The ability to travel within Canada and occasionally to the United States;

– The availability to actively participate in assessments. Financial resources for travel and accommodation are provided by the Standards Council of Canada;

– The ability to work within a group environment;

– Proven technical knowledge as it relates to the assessment.

Assessments may take five days or less. Volunteers may choose to participate in the number of assessments that best suit their schedules.

Interested individuals are invited to submit their curriculum vitae (CV), along with a statement outlining interests and capabilities as a technical assessor, to the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) Volunteer Program via e-mail at benevolunt@scc.ca, by May 31, 2003. More information is available from Stephen Cross, Manager, Conformity Assessment at scross@scc.ca.