The Department of Standards Malaysia (STANDARDS MALAYSIA) is the only accreditation authority in the country responsible for national accreditation system for conformity assessment. It accredits organisations engaged in conformity assessment activities that include testing, medical testing, calibration, inspection bodies, certification bodies for Quality Management System (ISO 9000) and Environmental Management System (ISO 14000), product certification bodies, Occupational Safety And Health System (OSH), HACCP Based Food Safety System, Information Security Management System, and Forest Management Certification. These organizations must apply for accreditation to STANDARDS MALAYSIA, which then processes and submits the applications to the STANDARDS MALAYSIA Director General who, in successful cases, issues certificates of accreditation. The Director General reports to the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) through the Secretary General of the Ministry. In the daily management of accreditation activities, the Director General is assisted by the Director of Accreditation.

In order to operate en effective, independent, impartial and credible national accreditation system meeting the requirements of ISO/IEC Guide 61 and ISO/IEC Guide 58, a Council known as the Malaysian Standards and Accreditation Council (MSAC) has been established. This Council advises the Minister in matters related to the operation of the system.

The system is open and accessible to any testing and calibration laboratories, certification bodies, inspection bodies or any applicant, irrespective of local or foreign bodies seeking to recognised as competent for both their technical capability and quality system. To be accredited, they must fulfil the accreditation conditions specified and published by STANDARDS MALAYSIA.

STANDARDS MALAYSIA accreditation service is non-discriminatory as its accreditation criteria, policies and procedures are consistently and uniformly applied to all applicants and accredited bodies.

All applicants undergo STANDARDS MALAYSIA’s detailed examination of documented procedures that must comply with the published criteria and requirements. STANDARDS MALAYSIA also engages qualified assessors to conduct ‘on-site’ assessments.

Decisions on accreditation will be based on assessment reports, which undergo a review by an impartial and independent Review Evaluation Panel. The panel then submits their recommendation to the Director General who then makes the final decision. Impartiality of STANDARDS MALAYSIA’s accreditation system is thus assured at three levels, namely strategic and policy level, assessment level and decision-making level.

SCHEME OF THE ACCREDITATION

STANDARDS MALAYSIA was set up by the Government on 28 August 2006 under the Standards of Malaysia Act 1996 (Act 549). Governed by MOSTI, STANDARDS MALAYSIA operates as the sole National Standards and Accreditation body in the country.

As stipulated in the Act 549, the primary task of STANDARDS MALAYSIA with respect to accreditation is to be responsible for the assessment and accreditation of conformity assessment bodies (CABs). CAB, as defined by the MS ISO/IEC 17011: Conformity assessment-General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment services and that can be the object of accreditation, such as laboratories, certification bodies and inspection bodies. The Accreditation Division of STANDARDS MALAYSIA carries out this specific task.

Currently, there are 3 accreditation schemes available:
• Skim Akreditasi Makmal Malaysia (SAMM)
• Scheme for the Accreditation of Certification Bodies (ACB)
• Malaysia Inspection Bodies Accreditation Scheme (MIBAS)

Fields of testing - chemical, biological, electrical, thermal, mechanical, Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), radioactivity testing, household pesticide, toxicity, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), veterinary, Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), nucleic acid, DNA profiling for FST and fire accelerants for FST.

Fields of calibration- Heat & Temperature Measurement, Electrical Measurement, Mass-Mass –Related Quantities Measurement, Optical and Photometric Measurement, Dimensional Measurement, Acoustic & Vibration Measurement and Radioactivity Measurement.

Fields of medical testing - Anatomical Pathology (Cytopathology), Anatomical Pathology (Histopathology), Chemical Pathology, Haematology, Medical Microbiology, Medical Microbiology (Virology)

ACB

This scheme offers accreditation to any certification body, governmental or privately own that has demonstrated compliance with published criteria and requirements of STANDARDS MALAYSIA

Scheme offers including Quality Management Systems (QMS), Environmental Management Systems (EMS), Product Certification (including Halal-Product certification), Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Management Systems, Information Security Management Systems (ISMA), HACCP based Food Safety Systems and Forest Management Certification (FMC)

MIBAS

Applicable to all organizations providing inspection activities and receive formal recognition of expertise, competence, quality systems, procedures, equipment and facilities based on independent assessment.

Field of Inspection- Agriculture and Agriculture Products, Industrial Equipment and Machinery, Industrial and Commercial Construction and Maintenance, Process Inspection, Building Construction and Maintenance, Manufactured Goods and Natural Resources and Refined Products

THE BENEFITS OF ACCREDITATION

a) Accreditation ensures the integrity of quality and standards
Accreditation reduces risk for business and its customers by assuring them that accredited bodies are competent to carry out the work they undertake. Accreditation bodies, which are members of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), are required to operate at the highest standard and to require the bodies they accredit to comply with appropriate international standards and IAF Guidance to the application of those standards. STANDARDS MALAYSIA as a member of the IAF strictly observes these set standards and guidelines.

b) Assurance of accuracy, traceability and reproducibility of test reports / data

Test report / data generated by STANDARDS MALAYSIA accredited laboratories provide Government bodies and regulators with the confidence in order to make their decisions based on sound technical judgement. These decisions relate to industrial efficiency and technological development, enforcement of regulations for safety, health, environmental protection and assure consumers interest are protected.

Using an accredited laboratory benefits government and regulators by:
• Increasing confidence in data that are used to established baselines for key analyses and decisions;
• Reducing uncertainties associated with decisions that affect the protection of human health and the environment;
• Increasing public confidence, because accreditation is a recognised mark of approval; and
• Eliminating redundant reviews and improving the efficiency of the assessment process (which may reduce costs).

c) Greater prospects for international trade

Harmonizing conformity assessment procedures around the world also has far-reaching benefits for international trade in general. STANDARDS MALAYSIA is actively engaged in developing reciprocal recognition arrangements between accreditation bodies. Agreements among nations or regions on the mutual acceptability of requirements, assessment methods, inspection or test results, can reduce or remove ‘technical barriers’ to trade. STANDARDS MALAYSIA’s initiatives can help made-in-Malaysia goods and services enter foreign markets with little or no hindrance.

STANDARDS MALAYSIA has been recognised by the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC), International Accreditation Forum (IAF), Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

d) Tax Reduction

In order to encourage the private sector to participate actively in standardisation and accreditation activities, the Government has agreed that effective from the year of assessment 2004, a tax reduction would be given to companies, which incur expenditure in the relevant period for participating in international standardisation activities approved by STANDARDS MALAYSIA. The tax deduction is an incentive given to labs and CBs under Laboratories Accreditation Scheme of Malaysia (SAMM) and Accreditation of Certification Bodies (ACB) according to the Income Tax Act 1967 (Amendment). The amendment specifies that the incentive is based on “an amount equal to the expenditure, not being capital expenditure, incurred by a company in the relevant period for the purposes of:

e) Grant for productivity and quality improvement and certification (ITAF 3)

This grant is given to assist companies to improve productivity and quality and to achieve international quality standards and certifications. Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) involved in research and development (R & D) work concerning the above-mentioned activities can apply for the grant.

Eligible expenses covered by the grant are cost of hiring technical experts; cost of acquiring skills and technology through training and obtaining technical information; service cost for related schemes; cost for testing and calibration; cost of acquiring safety equipment, or equipment used for product testing or the prevention of pollution; and cost of materials used in designing and developing prototypes.

Application of ITAF 3 should be submitted to the Small and Medium Industries Development Corporation (SMIDEC)

For more details, please contact:
Department of Standards Malaysia (STANDARDS MALAYSIA)
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
Century Square, Level 1 & 2, Block 2300
Jalan Usahawan,
63000 Cyberjaya
Tel: 03-8318 0002 Fax: 03-8319 3131
Email: info@standardsmalaysia.gov.my
Website: www.standardsmalaysia.gov.my