Inspections
Inspections of factory production facilities and quality management systems is a key part of most product certification programs accredited to ISO/IEC 17065. While laboratory testing provides information on specific product samples at one point in time, it does not address the performance of products manufactured in the future. Inspections assess the quality systems put in place to produce products that are comparable to the tested samples.
ICC-SRCC requires periodic inspections for the OG-100, OG-300, OG-400 and listing programs for solar thermal products. Listees are notified early each year whether an inspection will be required on a given year. New listees must undergo an inspection within 6 months of the award of the first certification or listing.
spections for ICC-SRCC certifications and listings, the inspector will:
- Review both the manufacturer’s quality documentation and the effective implementation of the quality system.
- Review any special requirements in the certification and/or listing that may need to be reviewed during the inspection.
- Specify any discrepancies between conditions at the production facility and ICC-SRCC requirements.
- Document Corrective Actions, which, in general, must be resolved within 30 days of the inspection.
Two types of inspections are used by ICC-SRCC: Qualifying and Surveillance. They are described below with their associated documents.
Qualifying Inspections
Initial inspection for new quality systems and production facilities. Must be completed within 6 months of the award of the first certification for a product. Qualifying inspections set the baseline for future inspections.
Surveillance Inspections
Follow-up inspections for facilities and quality systems that have been subject to a previous qualifying inspection. Focuses on any changes, checks implementation, and confirms compliance with program requirements.