Does subclause B of Annex A of ISO/IEC 17020:2012 or ISO/IEC 17020:2026 mean that an inspector or technical manager of a Type A inspection body must not be employed anywhere other than the respective inspection body, whether in a different field of activity or in the same field in which the inspection body performs inspections
Alternatively, can such employment be permitted provided that appropriate risk-based control measures are implemented to ensure impartiality and to prevent the inspector or technical manager from carrying out inspections of objects, products, or systems in whose design, manufacture, supply, installation, purchase, ownership, use, or maintenance activities they have been involved?
STANDARD: ISO/IEC 17020:2012/ISO/IEC 17020:2026 – TOPIC: Independence and Impartiality
Answer:
Part one
Annex A does not mean that an inspector or technical manager of a Type A inspection body must be employed exclusively by that inspection body.
They may be employed elsewhere, whether in the same or a different field, provided that the other employment does not involve activities that conflict with the independence of the Type A inspection body. In particular, they must not be engaged in the design, manufacture, supply, installation, purchase, ownership, use or maintenance of the items inspected.
Therefore, it is the nature of the other employment and its relationship to the items inspected or similar competitive items—not the mere existence of other employment—that is determinative.
Part two
Where the other employment involves a prohibited activity in relation to the items inspected or similar competitive items, risk-based controls or other mitigations cannot make the arrangement compliant with the Type A requirements.
Type A independence is a structural requirement. It cannot be satisfied merely by preventing the individual from inspecting particular items, allocating the inspection to another person, declaring a conflict of interest, or introducing review and approval controls.
This should be distinguished from impartiality, which must be actively identified, managed and demonstrated by all inspection body types. Impartiality controls support independent inspection but cannot be used to overcome a failure to meet the structural independence requirements applicable to a Type A inspection body.
