Cement, Energy and Environment

13 Management System in accordance with IS/ISO 9000 series a s appropriate to the activities of the organization. 3.2 Role of Accreditation Construction Quality Management is an essential part of Construction Project Management. All materials to be used, methods adopted and all activities have to be performed strictly in accordance with the requirements of the specifications. The quality of construction product is controlled through:  Material selection, procurement, storage and utilization;  Construction methodology and good construction Practices;  Conformity of finished product with specifications. Conformity to specifications at all the above stages is required; product has to meet the design criteria. Accreditation is a powerful tool for confidence building for service providers as well as consumers. It is a mechanism for assessment and enhancement of competence of: quality control laboratories in cement and building material manufacturing organizations; laboratories of construction projects, and laboratories operating as third party testing units. Talking about India, accreditation system implemented by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), a body under the aegis of QCI, has opened the floodgates for accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories, since the nineteen nineties, and more recently of PT (Proficiency Testing) Service Providers and RM (Reference Material) producers. NABL is a MRA (Mutual Recognition Agreement) signatory of ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation) and APLAC (Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Co- operation), therefore these services are available for MRA partner countries also and provide acceptability of results generated by laboratories of one country in other partnering countries. This facility is a huge advantage for accredited laboratories and promotes international trade. 3.3 Accreditations in Cement and Construction Sector Construction Materials testing laboratories provide testing services for quality control at input, construction and post-construction stage. Customers expect results that are reliable, accurate and obtained in an efficient and effective manner, within a suitable time frame. Accreditation of testing laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025: General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, is a vital component of construction quality management. NCB provides accredited material testing services and also assists in material selection, concrete mix- designing, final inspection of built infrastructure in the construction sector and non-destructive evaluation during service life of the structures. Another important aspect in getting reliable and accurate test results is the calibration of testing equipment and traceability of measurements. NCB is having accredited calibration services in mechanical and thermal field and is serving the needs of the cement, construction and thermal power sector. Thirdly, Reference Materials play an important role in calibration, proficiency checking, development of new test methods etc. NCB has so far developed 77 types of reference materials and these play an important role in maintaining traceability of measurements in the country, and are required to be used as per BIS codal provisions. These reference materials are import substitutes and support government’s “Make in India” campaign. Accreditation for RM Producers as per ISO 17034 has recently been rolled out by NABL. Next, PT Providers check the proficiency of testing laboratories and participation in PT provides confidence in test results. PT is an important tool for quality control and assurance in laboratories, and periodic participation in Inter-laboratory comparisons and PT schemes is mandatory for testing and calibration laboratories. The accreditation scheme for PT Providers was rolled out by NABL in 2011. Designing of PT scheme is an activity in which NCB specializes. The designed PT schemes on cement and construction materials are most efficiently executed in NCB and serve quality control and assurance needs of cement and construction sector laboratories. In the scheme of quality control and assurance of construction products and construction project management, inspection plays very important role. Technical competence of an inspection body depends on various management and technical factors. Accreditation as per ISO 17020 helps enhance the competence of inspection bodies and confidence among builders and the users of built products. 3.4 Benefits of Accreditation From the angle of accredited service provider like NCB, accreditation helps gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the management and technical