JANAAC Extends Period for Free Pre-Assessment

Chief Executive Officer, Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC), Sharonmae Shirley, is encouraging local inspection bodies for goods and services to take advantage of the extended period for free pre-assessment being offered by the organisation.

She said that entities now have up to the end of April to benefit from the offer.

“We had this pre-assessment offer up to the end of last year. We did not have a lot of takers, but we are encouraging (inspection bodies) to apply. There is no cost associated and no professional fees. There will also be a 50 per cent discount on inspection fees if you are an inspection body. You will never get this again,” she said.

Mrs. Shirley was addressing a workshop on the National Quality Policy 2017 held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew on Tuesday (March 6).

Mrs. Shirley said certification by JANAAC will improve testing and quality of products being produced for the local and international markets, in keeping with the standards outlined in the National Quality Policy 2017, which is now a White Paper.

“The benefits of seeking accreditation far outweigh the cost of accreditation… . I am encouraging the inspection bodies right across the length and breadth of Jamaica to apply, and I remind you that an inspection body can just be an individual that performs inspection services,” she noted.

An agency of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, JANAAC is the only internationally recognised accreditation body in the English-speaking Caribbean.

It provides accreditation services to Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) consisting of laboratories and inspection and certification entities.

To date, JANAAC has provided 28 accreditation licences to Jamaican entities, with the last licence handed over on January 31 to the Veterinary Services Diagnostic Laboratory (VSDL) to carry out tests on fish for the export market.

The National Quality Policy 2017 articulates the Government’s position on the standard of goods and services produced and consumed in Jamaica.

It supports the achievement of the country’s development goals as expressed in the National Development Plan – Vision 2030, by facilitating the production and export of quality goods and services through the establishment and use of the National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) to ensure compliance with global market requirements.