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To uphold the standard of certification activities in the area of occupational safety and health, the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC) has launched a new accreditation scheme on 1 Jul 2005. Called the Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS) Accreditation Scheme, this is an extension of the Accreditation Scheme for Quality Management System Certification Bodies.
The new scheme is open to some 20 certification bodies in Singapore providing this service. The criteria used by the SAC include the ISO/IEC Guide 66: 1999, the IAF Guidance to Guide 66 and SAC criteria for auditors. They ensure that these certification bodies have the competence to assess companies' management systems in the area of occupational safety and health.
Once accredited, these certification bodies will certify organisations to SS 506: 2004, Occupational Safety and Health Management System, Part 1: 2004 - Specification. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requires companies in high risk industries, such as oil refineries, petrochemical plants, shipyards and large construction worksites to carry out mandatory audits of their Safety Management System (SMS). MOM will recognise certification of companies by SAC accredited certification bodies if the certification bodies are also MOM’s approved safety auditing companies and their auditors meet the criteria for MOM’s approved safety auditors.
"This accreditation scheme will provide third party assurance that certification bodies are competent to certify organisations to OSHMS based on SS 506," said Mr Teo Nam Kuan, Group Director of Quality and Standards, SPRING Singapore (Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board). "It will also help certified organisations to better manage workplace safety and health, and achieve better safety management and performance."
Formed in 1996 and managed by SPRING, the SAC is the national agency for accreditation of conformity assessment bodies. Accreditation is an endorsement of an organisation's competence, credibility, independence and integrity in carrying out its conformity assessment activities. Accreditation promotes good practices in manufacturing and services, facilitates trade by doing away with multiple assessment of goods and ensures that services offered are internationally accepted.
For more information, contact Phua Kim Chua or Mukhtar Singh at e-mail: phuakc@spring.gov.sg or mukhtar@spring.gov.sg.
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