1、Designation: E699 16 An American National StandardStandard Specification forAgencies Involved in Testing, Quality Assurance, andEvaluating of Manufactured Building Components1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E699; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year
2、 oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon () indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This specification defines the minimum requirements fora
3、gencies engaged in inspections and testing performance inaccordance with ASTM standards for factory built buildingcomponents and assemblies.1.2 The criteria in this specification are provided for assess-ing the competence of an agency to properly perform designa-tion testing, quality assurance, and
4、inspection.1.3 This specification does not cover Special Inspections orconstruction materials testing or inspection, or both. SeeSpecification E329 for these items.1.4 The criteria presented herein are divided into threecategories of endeavor, namely,Part AStandards and Criteria for Testing Agencies
5、Part BStandards and Criteria for Quality Assurance Agen-ciesPart CStandards and Criteria for Evaluating Agencies1.5 The fundamental purpose of this specification is toprovide criteria for evaluating an agency as denoted in 1.4either by a user of that service or by an accrediting authority.1.6 It is
6、not the purpose of this specification to provide abasis for determining the quality of a product or service beingevaluated.1.7 This specification is not intended for the evaluation ofthose activities normally associated with the production andsale of products and the like, such as a manufacturers in
7、ternalquality program. However, any organization may request orperform an evaluation of its own in-house facilities under thisspecification if it so desires.1.8 It is not the intent of this specification to be the basis forthe determination of the type of agency to be selected by theuser.1.9 This sp
8、ecification is used in conjunction with Specifi-cation E541 and Practice E651/E651M.1.10 The use of SI or inch pound units, or combination of,will be the responsibility of the technical committees referredto in this standard.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E329 Specification for Agencies
9、Engaged in ConstructionInspection, Testing, or Special InspectionE541 Specification for Agencies Engaged in System Analy-sis and Compliance Assurance for Manufactured BuildingE651/E651M Practice for Evaluating Capabilities of Agen-cies Involved in System Analysis and Compliance Assur-ance for Manufa
10、ctured Building3. Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 accrediting authoritya formal body (or an individualuser) that evaluates the capability of an agency in certainspecific fields of activity.3.1.2 affliateas used in this specification, a corporate ororganizational entity that has a management or an o
11、wnershiprelationship, or both, with the agency being evaluated. It doesnot refer to a contractual relationship between organizations,nor does it include the membership of a trade or similarassociation, or to the companies represented by such member-ship.3.1.3 agencyan organization or part of an orga
12、nization,engaged in the activities of testing, quality assurance, orevaluating test results.3.1.4 certificationthe process by which recognition isobtained from an appropriate party that a product meets certainspecified requirements. Prototype or production models, orboth, of the product(s) will have
13、 been tested and inspected tocheck that they do meet the requirements. Quality assuranceprograms are used to ensure that the product(s) continue to1This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E36 onAccreditation also, the use of such a system. The objective of qualitycontrol is to
14、 provide an overall system integrating the qualityfactors of several related steps including: the proper specifica-tion for what is wanted; production to meet the full intent of thespecification; inspection to determine whether the resultingmaterial, product, service, etc., is in accord with the spe
15、cifica-tion; and review of usage to determine necessary revisions ofthe specification.3.1.14 testingthe determination, by technical means, ofthe properties, performance, or elements of materials, products,services, systems, or environments, which may involve appli-cation of established scientific pr
16、inciples and procedures.4. Significance and Use4.1 This specification provides basic criteria for evaluatingthe qualifications of agencies utilizing the ASTM test methodsto test and evaluate manufactured building components. Theexistence of a formal accrediting authority such as a federal,state, mun
17、icipal, or nongovernmental body is not necessary forthe use of this specification. These criteria may be supple-mented by more specific criteria for particular classes oftesting, quality assurance, and evaluative agencies.4.2 The intent of this specification is to provide a“consensus-system” standar
18、dized basis for evaluating a testing,quality assurance, or evaluating agency with respect to itscapability to provide the specific service(s) needed by the userwithout prejudice to the agency offering other services or beingaffiliated with other agencies or organizations. In those situa-tions where
19、a strict literal interpretation of the phrase “shall bemade available,” as used in this specification, would beinordinately burdensome to an agency, it will generally besufficient that the agency concerned has the informationavailable for “on-site” review. This specification is not in-tended to be u
20、sed by accredited agencies or personnel in theperformance of Special Inspection services listed in the IBCCode or any other Code.4.3 The criteria of this specification are described in termsof the basic information necessary for an accrediting authorityto evaluate the capability, with respect to obj
21、ectivity, andcompetency of a testing, quality assurance, and evaluatingagency regarding common characteristics pertaining to theorganization, human resources, material resources, and qualitysystems employed by the agency in performing the servicesoffered. Typically, accreditation of an agency involv
22、es thefollowing three essential phases:4.3.1 Submittal, to an involved accrediting authority, ofbasic information in accordance with the criteria of thisspecification by an interested agency.4.3.2 Evaluation of the agency-submitted information bythe involved accrediting authority.4.3.3 Verification,
23、 “on-site,” of the agency-submitted infor-mation by the representative(s) of the involved accreditingauthority.4.4 Although three categories are presented, an agency mayprovide one or any combination of these categories for whichit can qualify. An agency requesting qualification under morethan one c
24、ategory must satisfy the criteria for each category forwhich acceptability is desired.4.5 The criteria set forth herein represent areas upon whichagreement can be reached. There may be other areas to begiven consideration which may be of importance to the user.The user should include such other area
25、s as a part of its owncriteria.4.6 This specification represents minimum criteria neces-sary to perform, monitor, or evaluate the test results of thosestandards promulgated by ASTM Committee E06.4.7 It is anticipated that the ultimate user of this specifica-tion will have the expertise necessary to
26、exercise good judg-ment in the areas of human resources, physical resources, andquality systems of the agency being evaluated.NOTE 1For example, when judging the qualifications of the variousindividuals in a particular agency, related factors or alternative resourcesE699 162(such as mechanical, elec
27、trical, or electronic equipment used to aid,control, or monitor the work of the personnel) should be considered whenassessing the overall qualifications of such individuals. The job experienceand the reliability of the individual should also be considered in thejudgment, where applicable.4.8 When as
28、sessing the organization and the resources of aparticular agency, the judgment should take into account onlythose factors or resources specifically related to the technologi-cal area being served by the agency in terms of the specificevaluation, and only as necessary to form an adequate judg-ment in
29、 relation to the evaluation. Conversely, those techno-logical areas served by a particular agency that are not requiredto be evaluated in a specific instance should not be impugnedthrough the lack of such evaluation. The absence of evaluationor the denial of accreditation by any one party should not
30、prejudice future evaluations by other parties because smalldifferences in needs can influence the judgement of users. Theuse of this specification does not abrogate the right to “dueprocess” necessary to all assessments under this specification.The right of rebuttal to any conclusions drawn during a
31、naccreditation procedure shall be extended to the agency.4.9 Each act of evaluation should be viewed as a “one-to-one” judgment and should not be construed as being auniversal judgment by others interested in the agencys ser-vices. In order to ensure proper interpretation of each act ofevaluation, t
32、he purpose of the evaluation and the evaluationarea shall be clearly specified in any report of an evaluationmade pursuant to this specification.5. Organization of the Agency5.1 The following information shall be made available bythe agency:5.1.1 A description of the organization including:5.1.1.1 T
33、he complete legal name and address of the mainoffice.5.1.1.2 The names and positions of the principal officers anddirectors.5.1.1.3 The agencys principal ownership, its managerialstructure, and its principal members.5.1.1.4 All relevant internal organizational components in-cluding their locations a
34、nd their primary functions.5.1.1.5 All relevant organizational affiliates of the agency,and the principal officers of the affiliates and directors of theaffiliates, where applicable.5.1.1.6 External organizations and organizational compo-nents and their functions that are utilized for significantsup
35、porting technical services.5.1.1.7 A brief history of the agency, including its relation-ship with its organizational components, affiliations, and othersupporting information, to ensure that any and all possibleconflicts of interest may be judged from the standpoint of theuser.5.1.2 A general descr
36、iption of the geographical area served.5.1.3 A general description of the types of users of theservices.5.1.4 A listing of the relevant technical services offered.5.1.5 A functional description of the agencys organiza-tional structure for the services listed in 5.1.4 includingoperational departments
37、, support departments, and services.This may be demonstrated in the form of charts that depict therelevant groups and their relationship.5.1.5.1 This description shall be inclusive of all the loca-tions that are to be used for performing the services listed in5.1.4 including the functions being perf
38、ormed at each location.The accreditation of an agency includes the accreditation of alllocations of the agency performing services or support func-tions for which accreditation is being sought. All informationrequired by this specification shall be supplied for eachlocation.5.1.6 A brief resume of a
39、ll full-time managerial and super-visory employees used to perform the services for whichaccreditation is being sought. Where part-time employees,contractors, consultants, etc., are utilized in any capacity forthese services, their relationship to the agency shall be stated.5.1.7 A statement determi
40、ning the managerial or financialrelationship, or both, between the agency, its owners, itsmanagement, its directors, and the users of the services to beperformed.PART ASTANDARDS AND CRITERIA FORTESTING AGENCIES6. General6.1 The testing agency is responsible for the performance ofthe applicable tests
41、 with the objective of ascertaining that themanufacturers product complies with the testing requirementsof the applicable standard or specifications. An understandingof the requirements of each individual test method to be usedis a necessity. It is essential that the test agency has a copy ofeach ap
42、plicable test method available, in its entirety, beforeundertaking the test program.6.2 The test agency shall prepare and submit a report incompliance with the requirements of the test method. This testreport shall stipulate that the tests were performed in accor-dance with all requirements of the t
43、est method when such is thecase. In those cases where a deviation is made from the testmethod requirements, each such deviation shall be enumeratedin the test report separately so that proper evaluation of the testresults can take the deviations into account.6.3 The function of a test agency encompa
44、sses only theperformance of the tests required, the reporting of the results,and a statement of compliance to the particular function underconsideration. Evaluation of the test results is the function ofthe evaluating agency, the criteria for accreditation for whichare set forth in Part C of this sp
45、ecification.6.4 Where the test agency performs several testing proce-dures encompassing changes in the manufacturers product,leading to improved or acceptable results, each such changeand its effect shall be reported in a supplement to the testreport, in order to allow the evaluating agency and qual
46、ityassurance agency to properly appreciate and incorporate thisknowledge into their functions.6.5 The test agency shall be capable of providing thefollowing elements:6.5.1 An organization identifying the person(s) responsiblefor the overall operation of the test agency and for thesupervision of the
47、test program.E699 1636.5.2 A record of calibrations performed.6.5.3 A suitable method for storing records and test results.6.6 The test agency shall demonstrate the following capa-bilities:6.6.1 The agency shall have a definite program for trainingnew testing personnel and supervision of all testing
48、 personnel.6.6.2 The agency shall conduct training programs for alltesting personnel to ensure uniform application of the testmethods and improving existing techniques.6.6.3 If feasible, the agency shall participate in round-robinevaluations, when required by the accreditor.6.6.4 The agency shall ma
49、intain records to allow verifica-tion of test reports.6.7 CriteriaThe test agency shall provide documentationto establish that is procedures meet the standard in 6.1, 6.2, 6.3,6.4, 6.5, and 6.6.7. Test Agency Representative in Responsible Charge7.1 TaskTo provide those services required of the personin responsible charge of the test functions, including thefollowing:7.1.1 Project LiaisonRepresent the test agency in allrelationships with the manufacturer, the quality assuranceagency, the evaluating agency, or such other agencies havingan interest in the test results
