The Products Conformity Assessment Section at Dubai Central Laboratory, DCL, an affiliate of Dubai Municipality, has underwent a routine external audit by the Global Accreditation Centre in order to ensure the sustainability of its commitment to act in accordance with ISO 17020 for inspection bodies.

ISO 17020 specifies requirements for the competence of bodies performing inspection and for the impartiality and consistency of their inspection activities.

The department is undertaking the inspection and monitoring of local markets, including in construction sites and gold and jewellery shops, to make sure that the products in these markets are complying with the approved specifications, rules and regulations and that they have obtained a compliancy certificate or hallmark from DCL, said Amin Ahmed, Director of DCL.

"In order to prove the efficiency and sustainability of this inspection body, we get it approved by an independent body that is recognised globally. However, the approval is only the first step to proving our efficiency and worth. The most important step and the biggest challenge is the sustainability of our approvals according to International Standard ISO 17020," he said.

The section is also assessing and granting certificates of conformity to a wide range of factories for a variety of products like concrete blocks, steel bars, thermal insulation products, ready-mixed concrete factories, solar water heater systems, paints and adhesives, pre-fabricated building facades, food products and others, Arif Al Marzouqi, Head of the Products Conformity Assessment Section said.