Apr 02, 2013

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.

ASTM 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 inspecting road and paving materials.

“Accreditation bodies should conduct thorough reviews of quality management systems, verify the laboratory’s testing equipment to ensure that the equipment 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, ASTM D7495 contains detailed guidance on the following:

•    Role of personnel at accreditation bodies;
•    The accreditation process;
•    Proficiency testing requirements, and
•    Assessment reports.

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 Customer Relations (phone: 877-909-ASTM; sales@astm.org). ASTM International welcomes participation in the development of its standards. For more information on becoming an ASTM member, visit www.astm.org/JOIN.

ASTM Committee D04 Next Meeting: June 11-13, 2013, June Committee Week, Indianapolis, Ind.
Technical Contact: David Savage, CMEC, Apopka, Fla., Phone: 407-628-3682; davesavage@cmec.org
ASTM Staff Contact: Daniel Smith, Phone: 610-832-9727; dsmith@astm.org 
ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, Phone: 610-832-9603; bschindl@astm.org

Release #9340