FAQ22

Some inspection bodies define their objectives to be those of the mother company, without defining in any detail how they apply to inspection activities. Are such objectives proper for the fulfillment of the requirements of the standard?

STANDARD: ISO/IEC 17020  ·  CLAUSE: 8.2.1  ·  TOPIC: Specifying objectives  · 

Answer:

When the standard says “…objectives for fulfillment of this International Standard” it really means objectives for fulfillment of the purpose of this International Standard. This is more explicitly explained in the current (June 2017) DIS (Draft International Standard) versions of ISO/IEC 17011 and ISO/IEC 17025, but the more careful wording of these documents is not intended to constitute a change. The purpose of ISO/IEC 17020 as defined in the scope is “competence … impartiality and consistency of … inspection activities”. Thus, the objectives are supposed to be defined with this purpose in mind. The intention is not to make inspection bodies define as objectives the intention to fulfill standard requirements at a later date. These requirements are intended to be fulfilled continuously. Likewise, the standard does in no way relate to turnover of or profit from inspection activities, why this is not the kind of objectives expected.