SASO Studies Challenges Encountering Private Laboratories in Accreditation Field
in a Workshop on December 30
SASO continues its efforts in exploring challenges encountering private laboratories in the accreditation field by organizing a workshop on Rabi Al-Awwal 8th, 1436 AH, corresponding to December 30th, 2014, at its main headquarters in Riyadh.
SASO, represented by the Saudi Accreditation Committee (SAC), stressed the importance of continuing its efforts to seriously find real challenges encountering private laboratories in the accreditation field in the Kingdom and their legal and procedural problems.
It is decided that the workshop will include a review and discussion of the first workshop's outputs, which was held at the beginning of 2014. The first workshop had a public and private attendance from about 29 bodies, including the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water and Electricity, Ministry of Health, and Saudi Food and Drug Authority. In addition, the workshop had to a large attendance of private laboratories' representatives in order to come out with final recommendations related to this regard.
The Saudi Accreditation Committee (SAC) is considered one of the specialized committees at SASO, which is headed by His Excellency the Governor of SASO, Dr. Sa'ad Al-Kasabi, and in which representatives of a number of ministries, public commissions, and private sectors are members. The duties of SAC involve suggesting private policies related to accreditation activities in addition to granting, renewing, suspending, withdrawing, expanding, and reducing the field of accreditation for certification bodies, inspection bodies, and laboratories. SAC is also responsible for suggesting regulations of accrediting laboratories, certification bodies, and inspection bodies besides implementing the mutual recognition agreements in this field.