ASTM Adds Certification Program

W. CONSHOHOCKEN, PA, November 19, 2009ASTM International, one of the largest international standards development and delivery systems in the world , initiated a  new testing program for product and personnel conformance to meet expressed needs for independent, third party demonstrations of compliance to standards

At its Oct. 27-28, 2009 meeting, the ASTM board of directors authorized the development of the groups capability to offer certification services. Titled the ASTM International Certification Programs, the new initiative is sponsored by ASTM International and offers the opportunity for certification of products (materials, products, services and systems) as well as personnel.

The board agreed that the ability for the Society to offer certification programs as a part of ASTMs portfolio of services similar to our successful proficiency testing and training programs is important in remaining relevant in the changing global marketplace, explains James A. Thomas, president of ASTM International.  This is the first step toward certification in ASTMs 111-year history. The board approved this initiative to satisfy the requirements of ASTMs diverse stakeholder community and to meet the needs of industries relying on ASTM International standards, says Thomas.

Requests for an ASTM program may come from ASTM technical committees or directly from industry, purchasers, or government bodies. A product certified through ASTMs program would be tested by a third-party laboratory to determine the products ability to conform to one or more ASTM standards. All program initiatives will be based on the level of interest of the relevant ASTM technical committee as well as the support of industry.