IAS December 2021 - Newspaper - Page 9
IAS NEWSLETTER December 2021
QEERI achieves
ISO accreditation
for calibration and
testing labs
Qatar Environment and Energy Research
Institute (QEERI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa
University (HBKU), located in Doha, Qatar
has received accreditation to ISO/IEC
17025:2017 on selected methods for its
Corrosion, Energy, and Environment and
Sustainability Centers from the International
Accreditation Services (IAS).
Dr. Muhammed Akmal Rana, Quality
Management Director at QEERI stated. “We
are very proud of each team’s hard work that
resulted in this advanced accreditation. With
existing government-mandated laboratory
regulations, QEERI upholds the highest
standards of testing and plays a pivotal role
in contributing to research and development
toward national energy, water security, and
climate change,”
ISO/IEC 17025 is the highest globally
recognized quality standard for calibration
and testing laboratories. With the
accreditation, QEERI proves that they
produce precise and accurate results from
their research laboratories and can operate
competently in supporting the cutting-edge
interdisciplinary research undertaken at
QEERI’s centers.
This most recent ISO/IEC 17025
accreditation follows QEERI’s certification
in 2020 for its Integrated Management
System (IMS) under the ISO 9001:2015, ISO
14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 standards.
“We look forward to serving Qatar in
tackling the grand challenges related to
energy, water, and environment. We will
continue to provide world-class technology
and supporting services to our partners and
stakeholders," stated Dr. Marc Vermeersch,
Executive Director, QEERI.
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METALCON
Assessor Spotlight –
Chin Keung “CK”
Cheung
by Greg West
METALCON, a leading global event for the
metal design and construction industry,
construction professionals onsite October
Tampa, Florida and IAS was there to share
information about its related accreditation
A presentation was given about the IAS
and AC478 accreditation programs by
Jennifer Heimburger, owner of Heimburger
Construction and board member of the
Metal Building Contractors and Erectors
Association (MBCEA), Lee Shoemaker,
Director of Research and Engineering for the
Metal Building Manufacturers Association
(MBMA), and Sandi McCracken, IAS Director
of Construction and Industrial Relations.
This presentation provided an overview of
two accreditation programs that are chosen
to improve the quality of work in the metal
building industry.
welcomed
6-8, in
programs.
AC472
IAS accreditation attests that an organization has been assessed by a third-party
accreditation body to rigorous standards to ensure their quality and make it easier for
regulators to approve the companies that are designing, fabricating and assembling metal
building systems. Representatives from IAS, MBMA and MBCEA presented and answered
questions about the Metal Building Systems Inspection Accreditation AC472 and Metal
Building Assemblers Inspection Accreditation AC478. Additionally, IAS, MBMA and MBCEA
all had display booths in the exhibit hall. In addition to providing information about the
AC472 and AC478 programs, IAS also shared about related accreditation programs for
fabricators, special inspection agencies, testing laboratories and a new program for
fabricators of container-based structures (also known as shipping containers).
Accreditation, Standardization, and
Conformity Assessment Online
California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) and IAS wrapped up a 4-module online
certificate program on Accreditation, Standardization, and Conformity Assessment on
November 6th. This course was delivered via a cohort format consisting with class meetings
taking place on Zoom on five consecutive Saturdays. Students had to attend all sessions
and pass a written exam with a score of 70% or better on the final Saturday to receive a
certificate.
Module 1, led by IAS staff members Dr. George Anastasopoulos and Prasanth Ramakrishnan,
took place on October 2nd and was on the topic of Conformity Assessment Principles and
Global Issues in Conformity Assessment. Module 2 led by IAS staff members Dr. George
Anastasopoulos and Helga Alexander took place on October 9th and was on the topic of The
World of Standardization and Common Elements in Management Systems. Module 3 led
by IAS Staff members Helga Alexander
and Prasanth Ramakrishnan took
place on October 16th and was on the
topic of Certification and Accreditation
Management Systems and Standards.
Module 4 led by CSUDH professor Dr.
Emil Hazarian took place on October 23rd
and was on the topic of Risk Analysis in
Conformity Assessment and Metrology
in Conformity Assessment. An Exam
and Project Presentation led by Dr. Emil
Hazarian and Prasanth Ramakrishnan
took place on November 6th.
IAS External Newsletter
Chin Keung “CK” Cheung
graduated with a 1st class
honors Bachelor of Science (BSc)
degree in civil engineering from
the Middlesex University in the
United Kingdom (UK) and was the
recipient of the Institution of Civil
Engineers prize for outstanding
undergraduate work. He received
the Croucher Foundation Scholarship to study for a Master of
Science (MSc) degree at the Imperial College of London. During his
master’s program, CK focused on geotechnical engineering and
conducted research on critical state soil mechanics and cam-clay
modelling of soft marine clays.
After graduation from Imperial College and obtaining the Chartered
Engineer status in the UK, CK returned to Hong Kong and worked
for the government of Hong Kong as an engineer and was then
promoted to a senior engineer at the civil engineering development
department. During his service with the government, CK also
obtained a master’s in engineering (MEng) degree at the Hong Kong
University for structural and environmental engineering.
CK then took a two-year break to become a geotechnical lecturer
at the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong doing research on the
properties of tropical residual soils. An unexpected opportunity
emerged in 1997, when he was offered a post at the Innovation &
Technology Commission (ITC) as a senior officer. Under ITC, the
Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS) was established and CK
became the founding officer. He remained a senior accreditation
officer for 15 years until 2011. During his time with ITC, CK managed
the assessment of the various laboratories, inter alia, Construction
Materials Testing (CMT), environmental and calibration laboratories.
CK helped to develop the accreditation schemes for inspection
bodies, management systems and product certification bodies.
He pioneered indoor air quality certification and building and food
product certification and the development of gemstone testing
standards and certification. CK took the lead with the Gemmological
Association of Hong Kong to publish the Hong Kong Standards for
Fei Cui (jadeite jade) and diamonds testing. The Hong Kong jewelry
industrial leaders considered this as a major contribution for the
quality development of the Hong Kong jewelry market.
CK also pioneered the development of building product certifications
in Hong Kong due to his critical role in establishing four institutions;
Hong Kong Concrete institute, Hong Kong Institute of Steel
Construction, Hong Kong Plumbing and Drainage Association, and
Hong Kong Fire Association. He then became the founding vicechairmen and board member of these institutions. On behalf of these
organizations, CK took the lead to develop over 20 construction
product certification schemes. The Hong Kong construction
industry benefited significantly from the implementation of these
schemes.
CK also became the founding president of the Hong Kong Institution
of Certified Auditors (HKICA) in 2003. Prior to this, in Hong Kong the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) quality auditors
were not achieving the professional status in the technical auditing
community. During his term as the president, HKICA grew after
www.iasonline.org
obtaining funding from the government of Hong Kong to become
a leading ISO auditor association locally and regionally. HKICA
was accredited under ISO 17024 in 2016 by the China National
Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) and the
auditor status was accepted by the China government as equivalent
to the Chinese government authorized auditors. CK is now the
Honorary President of HKICA.
In addition to registered professional engineer, CK is also a
gemmologist by qualification and experience. He retired in early
2014 from HKAS and then started an engineering consultancy
in Hong Kong, Macau and China. CK has extensive experience
in materials testing and engineering application leading to his
specialization in the failure analysis of old buildings and bridge
structures. In 2015 he joined IAS as a lead assessor. In this role, CK
has helped in the growing the conformity assessment market in
China, Hong Kong and Macau.
CK has performed many peer evaluations for the Asia Pacific
Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) as an evaluator and a lead
evaluator. He has done more than 45 peer evaluations primarily in
the Asian Pacific region. CK has also participated in the International
Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International
Accreditation Forum (IAF) regional peer evaluations in the Middle
East and Africa. He has traveled globally to do peer evaluations in
China, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia,
India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, South Africa, USA, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Dubai and
Mexico, among other countries.
CK loves swimming and swims every day to stay healthy. He also
plays guitar and sings old folk songs at gatherings with friends. CK
loves doing assessments, enjoys the interaction with different kinds
of people of various backgrounds and nationalities. This fascinating
interaction with other cultures makes the work that he does feel like
a hobby. Here’s what CK had to say about doing assessments with
IAS.
Q: What is your favorite part of doing assessments?
A: All assessments are personal contacts with human beings
of different cultures and nationalities. This is very fulfilling for
me because I use my emotional intelligence and my technical
knowledge. I look at it as a social science activity and I love to
communicate with new people. I have connected with people from
Africa, the Middle East and Asia, due to learning different cultures.
Q: How should a customer prepare for an assessment?
A: For laboratory customers, preparation for the test demos is
critically important as this is often the most challenging part of the
assessment for a laboratory.
Q: What is your advice to a company seeking accreditation?
A: For laboratory customers, remember these five terms;
“Personnel”, “Equipment”, “Test Items”, “Test Methods” and
“Environment” when they seek accreditation.
Q: What is the value of accreditation in your opinion?
A: Accreditation means to “add credit”. It also means an added
confidence process and an added value activity for services,
products, test results, and personnel competence. Accreditation
helps the safety, health and quality of life domestically and helps
boost international trading effectively and efficiently by reducing the
obstacles and technical barriers to trade across borders
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