Introduction:

Quality infrastructure can be described as a network of elements and resources that work together to support economic actors in producing products and services that meet all relevant requirements, be they demanded by authorities or the market place. This support includes the capacity to provide evidence that these requirements are indeed met.

An effective quality infrastructure helps
• ensure the competitiveness of companies,
• avoid and eliminate technical barriers to trade,
• achieve the goals of environmental, health, safety and occupational safety and general consumer protection policies,
• Support on technology transfer
• support SMEs for quality based competition
• enhance for the acceptance of research results

Current Activity :
. The department is under the process of establishment of its system, requirement and criteria for the delegation of conformity assessments and cooperation work with region.
International practice:
1. Technical regulations is a lay down compulsory requirements for product or service characteristics or their related processes and production methods.
2. Technical regulation has specific administrative provisions and conformity assessment requirements with which compliance is mandatory for safety, health, environmental control and consumer protection.
3. The obligation of conformity assessment for a product is determined by the technical regulation prior to placing the product on the market or putting it in use

4. The procedure for product conformity assessment determines by the standard to which the technical regulation is referring.
5. The bodies for conformity assessment shall have the professional competence of persons conducting conformity assessment; appropriate equipment and premises; the independence and impartiality in the conformity assessment procedure; confidential and liability to its activity.
6. The delegated conformity assessment body must not be the supplier of the products that are being assessed, directly involved in designing, production, make, assembling, usage and maintenance of the product.
7. The body for conformity assessment that has a certificate of accreditation is considered to have fulfilled all the stipulated requirements to the extent these requirements are entailed in the scope of accreditation.

<<read more…>>

Concept Note -How Quality applies in the Ministry of Trade and Industry and its Institutions (By Mr.Araya Fesseha ,Director General,ENAO)