QA audits and QA monitoring
Are you aware of the various options available to audit your quality system? Our experts offer you QA audits as well as QA monitoring and possess the required expertise and technical skills.
In the course of interventions as a Notified Body under the new, global approach of European Directives such as the PED, TPED, SPV for example, and also in other interventions and regulations, it is fairly common to assess the quality systems of material manufacturers and of pressure equipment manufacturers with a view to evaluating the technical and administrative conformity of the materials, components and pressure equipment against applicable requirements, standards and codes. These are referred to as QA (Quality Assurance) or QS (Quality System) audits or QA/QS monitoring.
hile in most cases, an audit covers the entire organisation and all its facets, monitoring is limited to part-aspects, and usually takes place in connection with technical inspections and highly specific activities within such inspection visits.
The principal difference to quality system audits as per the ISO 9001 standard, is that here, there is an explicit verification of whether all the individual aspects of a construction (from the design phase to final assessments and tests) conform to the technical and administrative requirements applicable under the contract and/or regulations.
Our auditor will consequently not only possess adequate training in auditing methodology, but also the necessary technical skills and competencies relating to the sector in which he conducts his assessments.
For the one part, the audit consists in verifying not only the comprehensiveness and unambiguity of all written instructions, but also whether they meet applicable requirements. Secondly, an on- site assessment of whether the system has been properly implemented, is also conducted.
The audit concludes with a report of the findings made. Depending on the situation, periodic audits are scheduled, combined, wherever necessary, with verifications of the corrective actions that may be necessitated by the non-conformities found. Additional certificates may also be issued in some cases, to certify conformance of the quality system with a specific quality standard or regulation.
Our service offers you:
- The garantee that you satisfy the statutory obligations
- The capability and the efficiency of fulfilling specific quality requirements
- The detection of potential problems, with the option of implementing corrective measures well in time.
- The intervention of an independent world-renowned third party also brings with it an added credibility.
Legislations
Apart from the aforesaid European Directives, Vinçotte, as an “Authorised Inspector” or “Agreed Notified Body”, also conducts audits on equipment and pressure equipment manufacturers intended for Belgian and French nuclear installations as per NCA 3800 of Section III of the ASME Code, as per the ASME NQA-1 standard, the 10cfr50 Appendix B of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and as per the French ESPN regulations, with or without the use of the RCC codes.
Norms and Standards
ASME, ASTM, EN, ISO, …
Our service is intended for:
- All manufacturers of materials and pressure equipment that under the aforesaid regulations, are required to undergo a mandatory assessment of their quality systems.
- All manufacturers in the aforesaid sectors that, though not subject to a mandatory audit of their quality systems, voluntarily wish to undergo such audits to gain added value.
- All end users/operators who wish to ensure additional monitoring and quality assurance in relation to their suppliers and contractors.
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