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Getting Accredited DAC facilitates the leadership’s vision to make the emirate a hub of Islamic economy
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ubai Accreditation Department (previously called Dubai Accreditation Center, and generally referred to as DAC) is celebrating a momentous journey in its 10th year of operations. After traversing the entire GCC and beyond to establish quality infrastructure in all walks of life, DAC continues to have people’s health, safety and satisfaction as its main goal. This charts the next stage of DAC’s journey to achieve the UAE Vision 2021 launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, aimed to make the UAE among the best countries in the world by the Golden Jubilee of the Union. In order to translate the vision into reality, DAC started as an affiliate organ under Dubai Municipality — Dubai Government to provide accreditation services in diversified sectors. It
Amina Ahmed Mohammed, Director of DAC was set up to support the establishment of infrastructure quality in the UAE and covers all business sectors including the healthcare industry. All along DAC has been committed to its cause with dedication. Individuals working for DAC like technical assessors, task force members, ex-
perts, and workforce under the able guidance of Amina Ahmed Mohammed, Director of DAC, have contributed hugely in the development of the department. Established as a centre in May 2005, DAC was restructured as a department in 2008. The department is Dubai’s governmental accreditation body that grants accreditation to Conformity Assessment Bodies including but not limited to testing and calibration laboratories, medical laboratories, inspection bodies, certification and Halal certification bodies according to national and international standards. DAC works under the administrative control of the Dubai Municipality. DAC is a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) signatory and full member of International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). It is also a full member of the Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MLA) of International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC). After receiving such a level of recognition for accreditation work, DAC became the sole GCC recognised accreditation body. In the field of Halal accreditation, DAC is an active member at the Standard and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries Accreditation Committee.
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Main highlights hh The UAE has become part of an elite list of 74 economies providing accreditation services that are recognised worldwide. hh Ever since DAC got recognition as ILAC MRA and IAF MLA within a span of six years, the number of CABs has increased exponentially. Being the only internationally recognised body in the Gulf region, DAC provides recognised accreditation services to other Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. hh Wings of DAC, like a flying falcon, have spread across various countries in Asia, Europe, MENA region apart from the GCC. hh DAC organises various trainings in the field of lead auditors, internal auditors, awareness on various accreditation standards, measurement uncertainty, Halal certification and accreditation, and technical courses to improve the competency of the CABs. hh As a support service, DAC conducts proficiency testing for various sectors like construction materials testing, environmental testing,
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calibration, gold testing, etc. DAC organised the world’s first Halal PT programme in 2014. Initiation of Medical Lab Accreditation in 2008. Signing ILAC MRA in 2009. DHA mandated the Medical Lab Accreditation and issue of Law number 2/2010 for mandating the professional services accreditation in 2010. Increase in the number of labs to 320 by 2014 from 50 in 2008. DAC started the provision of accreditation in medical labs to enhance the credibility and confidence in patient test results since 2008. DAC’s future plan is working in parallel with jointly established IAF and ILAC World Accreditation Day 2015, to raise awareness on how accreditation can support the delivery of health and social care. DAC conducts training courses on various accreditation related topics. It launched the first cost effective web-based training programme for the first time in 2015.
Dubai Accreditation Center New field and scope of Halal Accreditation Services DAC provides assessment and accreditation services to Testing and Calibration Laboratories, Medical Laboratories, Inspection bodies, Certification bodies, and Halal Certification Bodies Future plans Amina Ahmed Mohammed, Director DAC, noted, “Accreditation relating to safety and human health is one of Dubai Municipality’s highest priorities in achieving its strategic objective of ensuring environmental and health protection. Due to this importance we are going to launch accreditation schemes for hospitals and pharmaceutical laboratories. In addition, DAC recently launched Halal Accreditation according to the UAE and OIC/ SMIIC standards.” DAC is also undertaking an accreditation of inspection bodies working in the field of amusement rides and devices inspection in Dubai. This will enhance the quality and credibility of safety within the amusement parks and the Facility Entertainment Centres (FEC) industry in Dubai.
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Innovation To adopt the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, by positioning Dubai as the capital of Islamic Economy, Dubai Municipality (represented by DAC) has conducted several studies on actual market situation of Halal conformity and found a huge bias and differences between the available certification systems when benchmarked against the needed international traceability and conformity. The situation of Islamic associations who are witnessing the Halal slaughtering is not upto the mark as most of those associations and companies have no quality system and adequate competency required for evaluating and recording their processes against a united standard and system. Based on studies, the present situation drawback in the Halal business and market are as follows: • Differences between national and international Halal standards. • Differences in Halal certification schemes. • Absence of quality management system to run the associations and groups witnessing Halal slaughtering and food commodities manufacturing.
World Accreditation Day 2015
• No accredited laboratories for specific Halal testing. • Different Halal recognition systems between Muslim countries. • No established accreditation system for Halal industry in OIC countries. DAC developed the Integrated Halal Accreditation System (IHAS) for food industry, bearing the mark “From Farm to Fork”, which is in harmony with the vision, “We accredit… World Recognise”.
IHAS is the first model for Halal food products and services, which comprise safety, quality and Shariah requirements. It is also internationally recognised to be a wellknown trade mark in the Halal products industry. One of the unique features of the integrated business model is to have a mutual recognition of the Halal conformity certificate (One accreditation/One logo). DAC is the first in the region to have full membership and authorised signatory from the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), besides being vice chair and member of OIC/SMIIC accreditation committee), the department has emphasised an approach to have a secure internationally recognised business model that is open to the international trade and market. The new model requires involvement of all parties in the Ha-
Facts and timeline 2005 2006 2008 2008 2009 2010 2010 2011 2012 2012 2013
2013 2014 2014
2014 2014
2015
Establishment of Dubai Accreditation Centre. ILAC membership and IAF membership. Celebrates the first World Accreditation Day, June 9. First ILAC Peer Evaluation. First accredited medical lab according to ISO 15189. Full member and signatory of ILAC MRA in the field of Testing, Calibration and Medical services (ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 15189). A regulation Number 2/2010 for accreditation services in Dubai was issued by the Executive Council of the Emirates of Dubai. Member of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua) for inspiring, promoting and supporting continuous improvement in the quality and safety of healthcare. Accredited the first personnel certification body in the country based on the certification for Person-In-Charge (PIC) for food safety standard based on ISO 17024. First recognised Accreditation Body in the Arab region, for the field of Inspection (ISO/IEC 17020). Membership of SMIIC AC, Vice Chair. Full member and signatory of IAF/PAC MLA in the field of Certification Bodies (ISO 17021 – Quality management Systems and Environmental Management Systems). Signed the Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MLA) of International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) of Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC) for management system certifications according to ISO/IEC 17021 for QMS ISO 9001 and EMS ISO 14001 certification scopes. Won the “Idea of the Year” — Best Innovation award from Dubai Quality Group for proposing the Group Accreditation. First Halal Accreditation of slaughterhouses inspection. First Halal Proficiency Programme in the world. The programme for food examination checks the efficiency of food and beverage Halal testing laboratories. It is considered the first of its kind in this field. as a part of developing the Halal infrastructure in Dubai, and supports Dubai Islamic Economy’s capital initiative. It is in line with the policies of the government and achieves the vision of leadership in this area by establishing Halal accreditation system. Organised the OIC First Halal accreditation peer evaluation training (OIC/SMIIC-AC) in Dubai. Peer training programmes reached 254 and covered a large segment of the testing laboratories, which took into account the economic and commercial growth in many areas of Dubai and the region, as well as urbanisation and infrastructure projects within Dubai. DAC is the only regional body that provides such specialised programmes. First Amusement.
Forming prosperous relationships The British Standards Institution facilitates business improvement through the adoption of international management systems standards
British Standards Institution (BSI) is a business standards company that equips businesses with necessary solutions to turn standards of best practice into habits of excellence. Formed in 1901, BSI was among the world’s first National Standards Body and a founding member of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). Over a century later, it continues to facilitate business improvement across the globe by helping its clients drive performance, manage risk and grow sustainably through the adoption of international management systems standards, many of which were originated by BSI. Renowned for its marks of excellence including the consumer-recognised BSI Kitemark™, BSI’s influence spans multiple sectors including aerospace, construction, energy, engineering, finance, healthcare, IT and retail. The BSI Middle East and Africa (MEA) Regional Head Office is based in Dubai with branches in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and South Africa. BSI business streams in the MEA region focus centrally on assurance, training and product testing. BSI MEA works with leading entities around the region like UAE Exchange, Etisalat, Mashreq, Qatar Petroleum, RasGas, SMSA Express, and many more. BSI is accredited with DAC for
ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001, ISO 22000 and HACCP Certification. BSI looks forward to continuing a collaborative and prosperous relationship with DAC in the future. The majority of growth in the MEA region comes from countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. The market is mainly driven by Environment, Quality, Health and Safety (EQH&S), yet there is a steady increase in demand for Information Security Management (ISMS) and Business Continuity Management (BCM) throughout the MEA. With over 72,000 clients in 150 countries, BSI is an organisation whose standards inspire excellence across the globe.
lal chain of traceability, including Halal product manufacturers, Halal Certification and Islamic Associations, Halal manufacturing and
market Inspection (24/7), and Halal Testing Laboratories. www.dac.dm.ae/dac/major/ home
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Mirdif Security & Safety Consultants would like to congratulate Dubai Accreditation Department (DAC) for it’s 10th Year Anniversary. MSSC is an ISO 9001:2008, ISO 18001:2007 and ISO 14001:2004 certified consultants for ensuring safety in industry irrespective of its activities. MSSC is one of the region’s prominent safety consultancy. We have adopted an industry leading technology and developed best in class quality system to ensure complete and efficient solution to all your safety needs. MSSC is competent to carry out safety inspection, testing and certification for lifting equipment, accessory gears, lifts, service lifts, conveyors, escalators, earth moving machinery, boilers, pressure vessels and scaffolding. MSSC is conducting health, safety, environmental & quality training courses. health, safety and environmental
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