Inspections

Inspections of factory production facilities and quality management systems is a key part of most product certification programs accredited to ISO/IEC 17065. They’re also prescribed in Appendix B of the ACP 101-1 standard. Once a certification is awarded, it must be maintained through annual renewals and periodic factory inspections to remain active and relevant. While laboratory testing during the application phase 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 ensure that the products produced are comparable to the tested samples.

ICC-SWCC requires inspections for all certified wind turbine products on an ongoing basis every two years. Listees are notified early each year whether an inspection will be required during that year. New listees must undergo the first inspection within 6 months of the award of the first certification. Inspections are conducted onsite by qualified inspectors assigned by ICC-SWCC.

The inspector will:

Work with the manufacturer to schedule a date and time for the inspection,
Review both the manufacturer’s quality documentation and the effective implementation of the quality system,
Review product designs and materials and assess any changes designs or production processes,
Confirm compliance with all ICC-SWCC program requirements, including the use of ICC-SWCC marks of conformity,
Document Corrective Actions, which, in general, must be resolved within 30 days of the inspection.

ICC-SWCC makes use of two types of inspection – 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.

Qualifying Inspection Form

Qualifying Inspection Form Instructions

Surveillance Inspections

Follow-up inspections for facilities and quality systems that have been subject to a previous qualifying inspection. Surveillance inspections focus on any changes, checks implementation, and confirms compliance with program requirements. They also confirm the implementation of corrections from previous inspections.

Surveillance Inspection Form

Surveillance Inspection Form Instructions

Following the completion of a Qualifying or Surveillance inspection, the inspector provides the listee with a copy of the inspection report, and highlights any non-compliances that were documented. The report is then sent to ICC-SWCC staff for review and processing. ICC-SWCC staff then works with the listee to resolve any non-compliances, and closes out the inspection once all outstanding items have been addressed. ICC-SWCC then issues a single invoice covering the fees associated with the inspection itself and processing.

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