THE MINISTER OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To promulgate together with this Decision the Regulation on management of standard samples and certified standard samples.

Article 2.- The General Director of Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control shall have to guide and inspect the implementation of this Decision.

Article 3.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its signing.

Article 4.- The General Department of Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control and its Sub-Departments as well as relevant organizations and individuals shall have to implement this Decision.

For the Minister of Science, Technology and Environment
Vice Minister
BUI MANH HAI

(Promulgated together with Decision No.27/2002/QD-BKHCNMT of May 17, 2002 of the Minister of Science, Technology and Environment)

1. General provisions:

1.1. Standard sample certification means a job whereby the competent State agency in charge of measurement examines, evaluates and certifies the compatibility of standard samples with the prescribed technical and measurement requirements.

1.2. Organizations and individuals (hereinafter referred to as establishments for short) that produce or import standard samples for expertizing measuring devices on the List of measuring devices which must be expertized, must register for standard sample certification with the competent State agency in charge of measurement.

1.3. In cases where standard samples imported by the establishments for expertizing measuring devices are accompanied with certificates granted by foreign organizations that have reached agreement with Vietnam on mutual recognition of the measurement and testing results, such standard samples shall be exempt from certification but their import must be notified to the competent State agency in charge of measurement (according to the form set in Appendix 5*).

1.4. In cases where standard samples are produced or imported by the establishments only in direct service of their production and/or business activities, the certification thereof is not required but the establishments must notify the production or import of such standard samples to the competent State agency in charge of measurement (according to the form set in Appendix 6*).

1.5. Bases for consideration, evaluation and certification of standard samples are the Vietnamese standards (TCVN), Vietnam�s technical documents on measurement or standards of the International Standardization Organization (ISO) and other interna-tional organizations as well as recommendations of the International Organization for Measurement Legislation (OIML) for such standard samples.

1.6. The General Department of Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control (hereinafter called the General Department for short) shall be the State agency in charge of measurement competent to organize the certification of standard samples and manage standard samples as well as certified standard samples.

1.7. The terms: standard samples; certified standard samples; standard sample certificates; samples and lots of standard samples used in this Regulation are construed according to the provisions in Appendix 1.

2. Standard sample certification procedures

2.1. Standard sample certification dossiers

2.1.1. The dossier of registration for certification of a standard sample produced in the country includes:

a/ The registration for standard sample certification (made according to the form set in Appendix 2*);

b/ 02 copies of the general design of the standard sample;

c/ 02 copies of the document on technical and measurement requirements of standard sample;

d/ 02 copies of the record on and results of standard sample testing (if any) conducted by the concerned establishment.

2.1.2. The dossier of registration for certification of an imported standard samples includes:

a/ The registration for standard sample certification (made according to the form set in Appendix 2*);

b/ 02 copies of the document on technical and measurement requirements of the standard sample;

d/ 02 copies of the record on and results of standard sample testing (if any) conducted by the concerned establishment.

2.2. Dossier processing

2.2.1. Based on the dossiers and testing results provided by the establishments and if they satisfy the requirements set in Item 3 of this Regulation, the General Department shall consider and decide on the standard sample certification.

2.2.2. In cases where the standard sample testing results are incompatible with the requirements set in Item 3 of this Regulation, the General Department shall nominate an organization mentioned at Point 3.1 to test and evaluate the samples of such standard samples. Based on the testing results, the General Department shall consider and decide on the standard sample certification.

2.3. A decision on standard sample certification must state clearly: the name of the producing or importing establishment; the name, symbol, technical and measurement characteristics of the very standard sample.

The decision on standard sample certification shall be sent to the concerned establishment and relevant State bodies.

2.4. Samples and lots of produced or imported standard samples that have already been certified shall bear standard sample certification sign. The semblance and contents of standard sample certification sign shall comply with the form set in Appendix 3*.

Two sets of documents on a certified standard sample shall be verified by a decision of the General Department of Standardization, Measurement and Quality Control and bear the standard sample certification sign. One set shall be kept at the General Department and the other � at the establishment.

The certified samples shall be kept at the establishment.

3. Testing standard samples for certification

3.1. The measuring and testing methods for determining technical and measurement characteristics of standard samples must be undertaken at the recognized standardization and testing laboratories or organizations whose testing capability has been recognized or organizations nominated by the General Department (referred collectively to as testing organizations).

3.2. Based on the requirements of technical and measurement documents prescribed in Item 1.5 of this Regulation, the testing organizations shall work out testing programs (according to the form set in Appendix 4*) and test the standard samples according to such programs.

3.3. The testing results for standard sample certification must be the results of testing of at least 3 samples; for special cases, the number of tested samples may be fewer if it is so permitted by the General Department.

3.4. The testing results shall be inscribed in the testing records. The contents and form of the testing records must comply with the technical and measurement documents prescribed at Item 1.5 of this Regulation.

4. Implementation provision

When the already certified standard samples are renovated, which changes their technical and measurement characteristics as compared to the certified ones, the concerned establishments shall have to refill in the standard sample certification procedures.

For the Minister of Science, Technology and Environment
Vice Minister
BUI MANH HAI

1. Standard sample

A standard sample is a substance or material of which one or several compositional or characteristic values have been determined in terms of their homogeneity and precision for expertizing/standardizing measuring devices, appraising measuring methods or fixing the compositional or characteristic values of other materials or substances.

2. Certified standard sample

A certified standard sample is a standard sample accompanied with certificate, which certifies one or some of its compositional or characteristic values according to a given procedure in order to establish a connection between them and the precise presentation of the units used to denote the compositional or characteristic values and each of these certified values shall be accompanied with a degree that does not require specific measurement (Article 10 of Decree No.06/2002/ND-CP).

3. Standard sample certificate

Standard sample certificate is a document accompanied with standard sample, which states the values and the degree requiring no specific measurement, of one or some components or characteristics and which certifies that the necessary procedures have been completed to ensure the validity and standard connection between those values. A standard sample certificate constitutes the assurance for quality and guidance for use of the standard sample.

4. Sample

A sample is one or a number of standard sample units taken from a complete standard sample in order to provide information on the whole standard sample and shall be used as basis for making decisions on the whole standard sample or the process of producing such standard sample.

5. Lot

A lot of standard samples means a definite quantity of standard samples produced under the same conditions.-

* Appendixes 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are not printed herein.