WORLD ACCREDITATION DAY Message from Ismat Gul Khattak Director General PNAC

TEXT: The Role of PNAC in Enhancing the Economy of Pakistan Every year World Accreditation Day is celebrated with a unique theme to raise awareness among the key stakeholders on how to use accreditation as a tool in various sectors. This year's theme, Accreditation: Sustainability in Economic Growth and the Environment.

The theme focuses on how accreditation supports in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Accreditation helps in achieving 9 out of 17 SDGs which are SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 9 (industry innovation and infrastructure), SDG11 (sustainable cities and communities), SDG12 (responsible consumption and production), SDG13 (climate action), SDG 14 (life below water), and SDG 15 (life on land), while focusing on sustainability on economic growth and environment.

Understanding the importance of Quality infrastructure in the country, Pakistan developed National Quality Policy which was approved by the Cabinet in 2021, which includes strengthening of the existing systems of accreditation, metrology, conformity assessment bodies (laboratories, certification bodies, inspection bodies) and standards body. A strong quality infrastructure is an enabler for industrial development, trade competitiveness in global markets, efficient use of natural and human resources, food safety, health and environmental protection.

As the international trade is growing, so is the number of national and international voluntary and mandatory technical regulations, standards, testing, inspection and certification procedures which apply to samples, products, services, management systems or personnel. Generally, these are introduced to meet the legitimate requirements of quality and safety that consumers, businesses, regulators and other organisations demand in the case of goods and services, whatever their country of origin. It is vital, not only for individuals and organizations but for national and international economic health, that products and services can cross borders to meet global demand without causing undue risk to the health and security of individuals or the environment. But in these challenging economic conditions, it is also vital that regulations and standards—which can vary from country to country—are not prohibitively costly or burdensome to businesses and that they do not represent technical barriers either to domestic markets or to export opportunities.

Similarly, the production and distribution of food and water involves complex supply chains and processes. In simple terms, there is the production of crops and the rearing of animals, followed by the practices involved with sourcing, harvest and slaughter. Then there is the storage, treatment and processing, and in turn packaging and distribution. The food and water industry operates in a highly competitive, dynamic and regulated environment. There are a series of complex issues and a range of areas where there has to be tight control to ensure that the food and water supply is safe when dealing with the mass production of food and water in urban and rural areas. Increasingly, there is an international aspect to food and water production, as ingredients, products or parts of products, may come from several countries around the world. Samples, products, services, management systems or personnel can be evaluated against specified requirements by laboratories, certification bodies, and inspection bodies (collectively known as conformity assessment bodies). Conformity assessment is used to check that products are fit and safe for consumption against a standard, a code of practice or regulatory requirements. Conformity assessment therefore provides a means for preventing unsafe, unhealthy or environmentally harmful products from entering the market place. Regulators in Pakistan can set overall policy requirements or detailed technical requirements and rely on laboratories, inspection bodies or certification bodies to check for compliance.

Currently there is acute shortage of energy in Pakistan. The demand for energy increases each year, yet we are faced with finite fuel/natural resources. There is pressure on industry to cut emissions and to introduce energy efficiency measures. Governments and the private sector face the challenge of determining how to provide more energy for more people, while at the same time, cutting greenhouse gases (GHG) and pollution. Conformity assessment services therefore provide a means for preventing unsafe, unhealthy or environmentally harmful products from entering the marketplace. Regulators in Pakistan can set overall policy requirements or detailed technical requirements and rely on laboratories, inspection bodies or certification bodies to check for compliance.

Pakistan is a country with humungous population and is exploding every year at an alarming rate. Providing quality services is becoming a challenging task in any country and assuring, consistent and cost- effective health facility is even a bigger challenge due to mushrooming of substandard medical laboratories and health care facilities in the country. Accreditation within the health-care sector supports this assurance. It provides an essential tool for healthcare providers to demonstrate that they have undergone a rigorous process to ensure that their patients consistently receive high quality services delivered by competent staff working in safe environments. PNAC in Pakistan can work hand in hand with the health regulator to provide confidence to the end-users.

In Pakistan policy makers can use standards, accreditation and conformity assessment as market-based tools to deliver better regulation, environmental protection, public safety, fraud prevention, fair markets and public trust. Although these tools are not as widely known and understood, or used, as they should be, however, there are many instances around the world where the public sector has embraced accredited conformity assessment as a means of delivering public policy objectives. Accreditation can assist the policymakers in areas where conformity assessment is used, such as economic development, public sector, healthcare and environmental protection.

Pakistan is prone to natural disasters. Ever years there are floods, and most of the country is jolted by earthquake every now and then. Even fire accidents are occuring very regularly resulting in loss of life and property. Standards and accredited conformity assessment are market-based tools that can be used in the construction sector to cover construction products and materials, building techniques and practices, onsite health & safety, environmental impact etc. The construction sector is complex and highly competitive, and provides challenges for companies seeking to improve margins, and reduce costs whilst improving build quality and ensuring a safe environment on site. Accreditation supports the construction sector to control risk, help drive efficiency, demonstrate regulatory compliance, and provide supply chain confidence and is an answer to questions such as are the buildings we live or work in safe. It addresses the question whether measures have been taken in place to ensure that construction sites are safe places to work. Similarly whether the raw materials and construction products meet specification and are of suitable quality and whether they can sustain natural disasters. How do we know that buildings are capable of withstanding fire, storm, water, collapse, subsidence, vibration. Accreditation can support this sector to meet its need cleaner and safer construction.

There are more than 2.78 million deaths per year as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases. There are also 374 million non-fatal work-related injuries and illnesses each year many of these resulting in extended absences from work. In wider society, we expect that products we buy, from electrical goods to children's toys, our environment (water without contaminants, air free from harmful pollutants) or large-scale infrastructure projects (such as road, bridges, and public transportation systems) are safe to use. Our daily sources of energy, such as gas or electricity, should also be accessible without risk of injury or harm. Accreditation determines the technical competence, integrity and impartiality of organisations providing conformity assessment services such as testing, calibration, certification, and inspection. Approximately 80% of trade involves elements of testing, calibration, inspection and certification activities, collectively known as conformity assessment (Source: OECD).

Accreditation is an effective marketing tool for conformity assessment bodies and a passport to submit tenders to contractors that require independently assessed laboratories. Most accreditation bodies including Pakistan National Accreditation Council (www.pnac.gov.ok) publish a directory of their accredited laboratories, which includes the laboratories' contact details and information on their testing capabilities. This is another means of promoting a laboratory's accredited services to potential clients, through a system of international agreements accredited laboratories receive a form of international recognition, which allows their data and results to be more readily accepted in overseas markets. This recognition helps to reduce costs for manufacturers and exporters that have their products or materials tested in accredited laboratories, by reducing or eliminating the need for retesting in another country.

PNAC is an autonomous body working under the administrative control of Ministry of Science & Technology with the mandate to provide accreditation services to conformity assessment bodies, however its services are still under-utilized despite the steep growth in the number of accredited CABs. PNAC is a member of International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF) and Standards Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC). It is a Full member and has also signed Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) with International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), International Accreditation Forum (IAF), and Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC), which means the results produced by laboratories, certification bodies and inspection agencies accredited by PNAC are accepted globally.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022