 U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration |
MEMORANDUM |
| Subject: | INFORMATION: Approval of Comparable Accreditation Body - 23 CFR 637 | Date: | |
| From: | /s/ original signed by Butch Wlaschin Director, Office of Asset Management |
In Reply Refer to: | HIAM-1 |
| To: | Directors of Field Services Federal Lands Highway Division Engineers Director of Technical Services Division Administrators |
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In the regulation titled "Quality Assurance Procedures for Construction" 23 CPR 637 paragraphs 637.209 (a) (2), (3) and (4) require laboratories to be accredited by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Accreditation Program or a comparable laboratory accreditation program. On September 22, 2004, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published a Notice in the Federal Register to document the criteria that was to be used to determine a comparable laboratory accreditation program. Those criteria are now outlined in paragraph 3b of our Non-regulatory Guidance NS 23 CPR, Part 637B.
On May 30, 2012, the Construction Materials Engineering Council's (CMEC's) ISO 17025 accreditation program was recognized by the National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation (NACLA) for meeting the technical requirements of the NIST IR 7012 document. The FHWA participated in the evaluation process. The CMEC's ISO 17025 program meets the requirements for comparable laboratory accreditation bodies listed in the September 22, 2004, Federal Register Notice. As such, the laboratories that are accredited under CMEC's ISO 17025 accreditation program are considered to meet the quality assurance requirements in 23 CPR 637.209(a) (2), (3) and (4).
For reference NACLA's Web site is at www.NACLA.net and CMEC's Web site for accredited laboratories is at http:/124.73.159.98/fmi/iwp/cfi?-db=CMEC&-loadframes.
If you have any questions please contact Michael Rafalowski at (202) 366-1571.