french institute of science and technology for transport ... - Ifsttar

Quality assurance policy
A first accreditation
for UNEX at Bron
Characterization tests
on an impact attenuator for
motorway furniture.
Ten months after the LCPC/INRETS merger, UNEX (Experimental
Testing Unit) was awarded its first “COFRAC tests”
accreditation for mechanical strength tests on structures during
a crash. This project had been run for more than a year
by Patrick Joffrin, the unit’s director, and Sophie Serindat, its
quality correspondent. The COFRAC appraisal was conducted
in 2 stages by 2 auditors, one for quality, the other for technical
aspects. At their request, a “crash” test was carried out on the
day of the audit.
Obtaining accreditation required about two years’ work which
was punctuated by internal and external pre-audits. The organization
of the laboratory and its working methods had to be
thoroughly restructured to comply with the very rigorous requirements
of ISO 17025. This process resulted in the introduction
of total traceability of the activity from “ordering” tests
and services to “delivering” experimental measurements.
The measurement facilities had to be replaced in order to
meet equipment calibration requirements, and the laboratory’s
400 sensors had to be regularly subjected to rigorous metrological
monitoring.
@ CONTACTS
patrick.joffrin@ifsttar.fr & patrick.menanteau@ifsttar.fr
15
Extension of
ISO 9001
certification to
LIVIC in Satory
Among the goals set for the Quality Delegation by the Managing
Director, Hélène Jacquot- Guimbal, is for ISO 9001 certification
to be eventually extended to the quality management systems
of every IFSTTAR site.
With this end in view, LIVIC began to formalize its operation
by drafting a MOU with numerous appendices. Its status as a
jointly-managed unit (until the creation of IFSTTAR) had led to
the drafting of notes that described the procedures in place in
the former INRETS and the former LCPC. Several tools were
implemented in order to achieve traceability and archival storage,
including a Wiki and a control chart for monitoring project
revenue and expenditure. Straightforward realistic procedures
were specified and applied for monitoring the measurement
devices. The EREFIN indicators were introduced as a means
of measuring and improving quality.
The initial audit was added to the renewal audit for the Paris
and Nantes sites in October 2011.
The favourable report of the LNE auditors granted certification
to LIVIC from 21 December 2011. This will remain valid until
31 October 2014, as for the other certified IFSTTAR sites,
Paris and Nantes..
@ CONTACTS
jacques.ehrlich@ifsttar.fr & corinne.husson@ifsttar.fr
IFSTTAR site at Satory.
ANNUAL REPORT 2011 ifsttar.fr