Standardization News

As the number of third party accreditation bodies for road and paving materials in the United States continues to grow, a new ASTM International standard contains a set of requirements for establishing and implementing such programs.

D7495, Specification for Minimum Requirements for Accreditation Bodies That Accredit Agencies Testing and Inspecting Road and Paving Materials, was developed by Subcommittee D04.95 on Quality Control, Inspection and Testing Agencies, part of ASTM International Committee D04 on Road and Paving Materials.

According to David Savage, director of accreditation, Construction Materials Engineering Council Inc., and chairman of D04.95, the new ASTM standard, along with ANSI/ISO/IEC 17011, General Requirements for Accreditation Bodies Accrediting Conformity Assessment Bodies, provides the minimum requirements for an accreditation body that accredits agencies testing and inpsecting road and paving materials.

"Accreditation bodies should conduct thorough reviews of quality management systems, verify the laboratory's testing equipment to ensure that it conforms to the requirements of applicable ASTM standards and observe each of the test methods during the on-site assessments," says Savage. "This type of accreditation will ensure customers have confidence in an organization's ability to deliver desired products and services."

In addition to definitions of important terms, D7495 contains detailed guidance on the following:

Savage says that standards writers and regulatory bodies will be the primary users of the new standard.

All interested parties are invited to participate in the ongoing standards developing activities of D04.95.

To purchase ASTM standards, visit www.astm.org and search by the standard designation, or contact ASTM Sales (phone: 877-909-ASTM; sales@astm.org).

CONTACT Technical Information: David Savage, CMEC • Apopka, Fla. • Phone: 407-628-3682 | ASTM Staff: Daniel Smith • Phone: 610-832-9727 | Upcoming Meeting: June 11-13 • June Committee Week • Indianapolis, Ind.