New Product and Personnel Conformance Testing Programme from ASTM

International standards development organisation, ASTM International is to develop the capability to offer certification services. Titled the ASTM International Certification Program, the new initiative offers the opportunity of materials, products, services, systems and personnel certification.

This decision comes in response to enquiries, particularly in the areas of new standards development activities, for ASTM to provide certification of independent, third party demonstrations of compliance to standards.

“The board agreed that the ability for the Society to offer certification programmes as a part of ASTM’s portfolio of services — similar to our successful proficiency testing and training programmes — is important in remaining relevant in the changing global marketplace,” explains James A. Thomas, President of ASTM International.  “This is the first step toward certification in ASTM’s 111-year history.”

Potential product benefits of the ASTM Product Certification Program to manufacturers and consumers include increased confidence; reliable product comparisons; equitable testing and rating; potential liability reduction; and facilitating regulatory compliance.

Requests for an ASTM programme may come from ASTM technical committees or directly from industry, purchasers or government bodies. A product certified through ASTM’s programme would be tested, at the direction of ASTM International, by a third-party laboratory to determine the product’s ability to conform to one or more ASTM standards. All programme initiatives will be based on the level of interest of the relevant ASTM technical committee as well as the support of industry.

For further information on the new ASTM International Certification Program, visit the certification page of the organisation’s website, www.astm.org/cert

Tags: ASTM International Certification Programs