[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 20 (Monday, January 31, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-2043]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 31, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No. 940108-4008]

 

National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) 
International Laboratory Accreditation Program Establishment

agency: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

action: Notice.

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summary: The Director of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, United States Department of Commerce, announces the 
intention to establish a Laboratory Accreditation Program (LAP) in 
response to a joint communique issued on December 16, 1993 by Vice 
President Gore of the United States and Russian Prime Minister 
Chernomyrdin. The communique commits NIST and GOSSTANDART to work 
toward a permanent arrangement for mutual recognition of accredited 
laboratories. As an initial step, NIST and GOSSTANDART will establish 
procedures to provide for Russian government acceptance of U.S. 
government accreditation of laboratories that are found to be competent 
to test products for compliance with the requirements of the Russian 
Consumer Protection Law. By the end of 1994, an International 
Laboratory Accreditation Program (INTERLAP) will be implemented to 
provide the basis for GOSSTANDART officials to recognize test results 
generated by U.S. laboratories that have been accredited under 
INTERLAP. INTERLAP will be operated according to the published 
procedures established for the NVLAP, found at 15 CFR part 7.

addresses: Persons desiring to be on the INTERLAP mailing list for 
information from NVLAP, or wishing to offer comments on the 
accreditation program are invited to submit their requests in writing 
to: Lawrence Galowin, International Coordinator, National Voluntary 
Laboratory Accreditation Program, INTERLAP, National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, Building 411 A162, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

for further information contact: Mary Saunders, Office of Standards 
Services, National Institute of Standards and Technology, (301) 975-
4000, on U.S./Russia cooperation in conformity assessment.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Vice President Albert Gore and Prime Minister Chernomyrdin, 
accompanied by senior United States and Russian government 
representatives, met in Moscow December 15-16 to discuss a broad range 
of issues. Their discussions touched on business issues confronting the 
United States and Russia. In this context, they confirmed that 
international standardization and openness of conformity assessment 
were indispensable means of eliminating or avoiding the creation of 
technical barriers to international trade. They agreed that regular 
exchanges of information between officials and between standardization 
and certification bodies were also important to this end. In relation 
to conformity assessment, the two sides agreed to the following:
     Cooperation in the field of conformity assessment, in 
particular accreditation, based on international standards and 
documents.
     Consideration of the steps taken by the Secretary of 
Commerce to strengthen the coherence of the U.S. system to provide an 
assurance that U.S. conformity assessment programs satisfy 
international guidelines.
     Consideration of comparable steps taken by Russia toward 
convergence with international conformity assessment guidelines.
     The two sides recognized that confirmity assessment 
agreements would entail, inter alia, mutual recognition of test reports 
of accredited testing laboratories of the United States and Russia in 
order that results of their activities could be mutually used by 
conformity assessment bodies of the United States and Russia entitled 
to issue certificates and apply conformity marks.
     Both sides also agreed to define the scope of activity and 
to develop confidence building in the field of conformity assessment, 
in particular accreditation, based on international standards and 
documents. Confidence building will involve exchanges of experts, both 
government and private sector, between the United States and Russia, to 
review each other's conformity assessment practices with a view to 
mutual recognition of these practices.

Description of INTERLAP Program

    INTERLAP will be developed by the NIST National Voluntary 
Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), which operates under 
international standards (ISO/IEC Guides 25 and 58). INTERLAP will be 
designed to include multiple fields of testing and calibration to meet 
the needs of U.S. industry as agreed to in future bilateral discussions 
with GOSSTANDART. As an initial area of focus, U.S. and Russian 
government officials have already agreed to apply this approach to 
facilitating the access of U.S. telecommunications equipment and 
technology to the Russian market.
    Recognition will be facilitated through the exchange of experts, 
both government and private sector, between the United States and 
Russia, to gain familiarity with each other's laboratory accreditation 
practices. Assessment experts from the United States and Russia will 
review progress and expand planning at the May 24-25, 1994 meeting in 
Moscow of the U.S.-Russia Business Development Committee (BDC) 
Standards Working Group.

    Dated: January 24, 1994.
Samuel Kramer,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 94-2043 Filed 1-28-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-M