The IECEE Proficiency Testing Program

1. The IECEE Proficiency Testing Program

2. IFM Quality Services Pty Ltd Fully independent of any electrical testing company, certification body, government affiliates, accreditation body or other large organisation Accredited by A2LA to ISO/IEC 17043, 17025 and ISO Guide 34 Provider of PTPs since 1994 Active with CTL since 1997 Who is the Provider of IECEE CTL PTPs?

3. Collaborate with technical experts to design programs of excellent quality Notifies program outcomes to IECEE secretariat and the relevant certification bodies as well as the participant laboratories Notifies information regarding follow up activities required Monitors progress of follow up action to promote fulfilment of other required processes in ISO/IEC 17025 Refers recalcitrant laboratories to IECEE secretariat for additional follow up, thereby promoting continuing improvement philosophy What functions does IFM perform for CTL?

4. Service is reliable, efficient and open to all relevant parties Cost of service is very reasonable Additional free services are available for laboratory internal QA and management review processes as well as management of head office or multi-company coordinators The services

5. Program planning and design Program operation Post-program Follow up The IECEE CTL PTP process

6. CTL-OP 103 allows any interested party to suggest a PTP topic Topics are discussed at CTL meeting to determine feasibility and value to CTL community Topics and schedules are approved and technical advisers are appointed by the CTL chairman in consultation with IECEE CTL working group 2 Close liaison between IFM and technical advisers to obtain best PTP approach Prototype samples are prepared and sent to technical advisers for approval Program questions designed not only to determine acceptable test results, but to assist laboratories to determine reasons for result variation Program Planning and design

7. Laboratories are requested to enrol in the PTP Close liaison and follow up with certification bodies and secretariat to ensure laboratory compliance Program Planning and design

8. IFM obtains samples, determines homogeneity or individually calibrates samples, packs and sends same to participant sites. Questionnaire / data sheet is provided to participants in either on-line format or via spreadsheets Participants are required to perform tests. In addition, they may be required to send photos of test set up, calibration certificates, structured equipment audit results or other means to confirm compliance with the target standards All additional information is analysed together with the program data Program Operation and Report Preparation

9. Data is analysed and provided to technical advisers and WG2 for approval of participant acceptance criteria and setting of data limits Multi-factorial statistical analysis conducted on data with the view of determining not only pass / fail status of participant results – but also of laboratory related issues contributing to data-outliers Any useful outcomes are published in the reports Program Operation and Report Preparation

10. Issue of reports and summaries to laboratories, certification bodies and the IECEE secretariat. (by email and on internet) Receive feedback from same Notification of laboratories and their certification bodies where follow up activities are required (due to outlier results etc) Certification bodies have input into technical and quality aspects of follow up activities, ensuring laboratories have the required technical resources to effectively carry out their tasks IFM monitors laboratory follow up activities from 17025 perspective, recording progress in database Laboratories with unresolved follow up are referred to IECEE secretariat Post-program Follow up

11. The CTL-PTP workshops are used for presentation of PTP program outcomes in a forum that encourages technical interaction between delegates Summary information is prepared by the delegates in cooperation with the workshop leader. This information is intended to provide tools for improvement of laboratory work in future Delegates are encouraged to share the outcomes with fellow staff on return to the laboratory Post-program Follow up

12. CTL may make recommendations to individual laboratories, the CTL-laboratory group and/or standards writing technical committees regarding conduct of tests. Several improvements to wording or requirements of standards have been introduced as a direct result of the collaborative PTP process All this is with the view of improving the mutual confidence between receivers of electrical safety test results all over the world. Post-program Follow up

13. What sets these PT apart from others? Quality principles application expertise Technical expertise Collaborative liaison Analysis of issues, test approach, equipment, standards Improvement of test approach / procedure at CTL level (coordinated test approach via CTL decision sheets) Feedback to IEC technical committees to highlight problems with standards for future improvement Improvement of test approach / procedure at individual lab level

14. IECEE: taking Conformity Assessment further www.iecee.org