Fulfilling the Requirements of a Supervising Professional in CSA A283-19

February 3, 2023

To the Supervising Professional of all Certified and In-Progress Concrete Laboratories,
 
The purpose of this communication is to clarify the requirements of CSA A283-19 clause 5.2.2.2 part (n). Over the past year the CCIL Certification Office and the CCIL inspectors have been requesting documentation to verify the Supervising Professional’s (SP’s) monthly sign-off as required by CSA A283-19 clause 5.2.2.2 part (n). We have noticed inconsistent records available to verify compliance with this clause across the country. We have heard from a number of laboratories that the requirement to provide evidence of the activities listed in the monthly sign-off was not made clear and we trust this communication will help clarify CCIL’s expectations.
 
The responsibilities of the SP defined in CSA A283-19 have been in place since January 2020 when CCIL adopted the 2019 edition of CSA A283 (and, by reference, CSA A23.1 & 2-19).  These responsibilities cannot be delegated.  All SPs were asked to affirm the responsibilities in the annual Letter of Undertaking and have had three years to implement practices that meet the requirements.  Unfortunately, inspectors are finding not all laboratories have implemented documents or procedures in support of the requirements of clause 5.2.2.2 (n). Furthermore, only about 50% of SPs participate in the annual audit or are available to discuss the findings of the audit with the Inspector.  One of the requirements of CSA A283 clause 5.2.2.2 is that the SP be fully aware of the operations of the laboratory (part a), and another requirement is that they review certification audit reports and respond to certification agency requests and direction (part k).  In fulfilling the above CSA requirements, CCIL’s expectation is that the SP, as a minimum, will be available to discuss the findings of the audit, be able to answer questions about the operation of the laboratory and its staff, and provide documentation in support of the monthly sign-off.  Part (d) of Clause 5.2.2.2 requires the SP to visit the laboratory at least once every 30 days when the laboratory is in operation.  As our daily lives return to normal we expect that the monthly visits will be in-person.
 
In order to ensure that discussion of the findings of the audit takes place, starting in February 2023 we encourage the SP to participate in the laboratory audit and, if this is not possible because of other commitments, as a minimum we expect SP to participate in the audit finding review meeting.  At the conclusion of each audit, the Inspector will schedule an audit finding review meeting which the SP is required to attend.  The inspector will contact the SP after the audit has been scheduled and enquire whether the SP will be available in-person in the laboratory at the conclusion of the audit.  If not, a time will be agreed for a telephone or video call to discuss the findings.  A line item will be added to the CCIL Concrete Checklist to record the time and date the discussion took place.
 
To ensure consistency and assist SPs in meeting the requirements for 2023 we are modifying the recommended template for the SP’s monthly sign-off form.  We will list examples of documentation that will verify these responsibilities have been fulfilled but encourage each SP to review and determine their own documentation.   Please note the most recent version of all CCIL’s documents which relate to the Concrete Certification Program are posted on the CCIL website, www.ccil.com under the Concrete Certification tab. This includes the SP monthly Sign-off form, the Letter of Undertaking and the Concrete Inspection Checklist.
 
The above clarifications are intended to ensure consistent implementation of the requirements of the CSA A283-19 clause 5.2.2.2 part (n) for all concrete laboratory certification program participants. Your cooperation will be very much appreciated as the consistency and fair implementation of the 2019 edition of CSA A283 is important to the integrity and credibility of the CCIL Concrete Certification Program.
 
Regards,
 
Nabil Kamel, M.A.Sc. P.Eng.
Manager, CCIL Certification Programs