The Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) will be launching a new Plant Inspection Program as of February 2021. The program will monitor the ongoing quality control process used by the manufacturers of the products in the CCMC registry of product assessments. This program is a new step towards transforming the CCMC's current product evaluation service to comply with the international standard for product certification (ISO/IEC 17065).
As part of this, the Plant Inspection Program will replace the existing CCMC re‑evaluation process. This means that manufacturers will no longer be required to re‑evaluate their product every 3 years.
What does the CCMC's Plant Inspection Program involve?
The Plant Inspection Program will primarily include the periodic inspection of facilities that are involved in the manufacturing of products assessed by the CCMC.
A CCMC plant inspection will consider the following elements:
- Compliance of the manufacturer's documented quality system with CCMC minimum documentation requirements
- Demonstrated operation of the documented quality system
- Ability of the manufacturing process to control the quality of the manufactured products
- Verification of equipment and competence of personnel
- Proper and authorized use of the CCMC mark
As part of the inspection, the inspection body will complete a Plant Inspection Form, in compliance with the CCMC's plant inspection requirements. Inspections will be scheduled ahead of time to ensure appropriate staff and plant access is available, but will be treated as unannounced. The requirements of the inspection will not be given in advance to reduce the potential for the pre‑selection of data that may not reflect actual operations.
Additionally, for some product categories where the CCMC publishes design values as part of its assessments, (for example, structural wood products), we may periodically conduct a review of design values to verify the accuracy and validity of this data.
How will this change impact me?
Construction authorities
The CCMC continues to stand behind all of its published assessments. This process change does not impact the comprehensive technical approach employed by the CCMC in issuing technical opinions on the code and standard compliance of innovative building products. The CCMC continues to support Canadian construction authorities and the advancement of innovation in Canadian construction.
Assessment holders
All CCMC assessment holders will be required to have a minimum of 1Footnote 1 inspection per year for each plant that manufactures CCMC‑assessed productsFootnote 2. The CCMC will directly contract these annual inspections with a CCMC‑recognized, ISO/IEC 17020 accredited inspection body, at no direct cost to the assessment holderFootnote 3.
Any findings found during plant inspections will be reviewed by the CCMC, and any non‑conformances will require resolution by the assessment holder, to the satisfaction of the CCMC, to maintain the relevant CCMC assessment. Non‑conformances will be categorized as either minor or major, and may result in the need for a follow‑up inspection (at the cost of the assessment holder), and/or a fee of CAD $2,500 to offset the cost to the CCMC of resolving the non‑conformance with the assessment holder.
How will this change be implemented for existing CCMC clients?
Step 1: Inspection body selection
By early 2022, the CCMC will contact all assessment holders to inform them of the inspection bodies that are recognized by the CCMC to meet their inspection needs. The assessment holder must then advise the CCMC which of the CCMC‑recognized inspection bodies they prefer to conduct their plant inspections, and agree to allow the inspection body to conduct an inspection of their plant(s) within the CCMC‑specified timeframe (usually within approximately 6 months).
Step 2: Coordination and conduct of inspections
The selected inspection body will contact the manufacturing plant directly to coordinate the inspection date. The CCMC recommends that the inspection body be provided with a copy of the documented quality system for review prior to arrival, however, this will be at the manufacturer's discretion, based on their confidentiality policies. On the agreed‑upon date, the inspection body will conduct the inspection. The inspection results, including any findings, will be submitted directly to the CCMC by the inspection body.
Step 3: Resolution of non‑conformances
Any non‑conformance identified by the CCMC will be communicated to the assessment holder and must be resolved to the satisfaction of the CCMC, and within the timeframe specified by the CCMC. Failure to resolve non‑conformances may result in suspension or withdrawal of the CCMC assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Will this change affect the cost of a CCMC assessment?
For manufacturers who have demonstrated ability to control their manufacturing processes and comply with their documented quality system, there will be no change in cost for a CCMC assessment at this time. However, a lack of control and compliance may lead to additional maintenance costs associated with a CCMC assessment. For example, additional inspections to confirm implementation of corrective actions or to verify resolution of non‑conformances will result in additional cost to the assessment holder.
What if my manufacturing plant is overseas?
The CCMC will be engaging inspection bodies with resources all over the world. The CCMC will cover the cost of the first annual plant inspection regardless of location, but any additional inspections that may be required to verify resolution of non‑conformances would be billed to the assessment holder based on the cost of the inspection.
What if I disagree with an inspection finding?
The CCMC's manufacturer support team will work with the assessment holder to make every effort to obtain a satisfactory means of resolving the inspection findings; however, an acceptable resolution is at the discretion of the CCMC. In cases of dispute, feedback can be submitted to the CCMC's management by email at ccmcclientcare@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.
For questions or more information about the CCMC's plant inspection program, please contact the CCMC by email at ccmc@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca or by phone at 613‑993‑6189.