DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE …

                                        DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE                          ISSUE DATE:
                                    National Institute of Standards and Technology      October 30, 2006
                                  National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program

                                                                                        NUMBER: AB-7-2006
                                  ASSESSOR BULLETIN
                                                                                        LAP: All
SUBJECT:    Document Control: On-Site Assessment Forms


 This bulletin supersedes and replaces Assessor Bulletins AB-4-2002 and AB-5-2003.

 Document version control

 It is NVLAP's policy that documents required by the management system are controlled in order
 to ensure that appropriate versions are available at points of use and to prevent the unintended
 use of obsolete documents. To ensure that the most recent versions of on-site assessment
 checklists and other reporting forms are used, NVLAP posts these documents on the Assessor
 Resources page of the NVLAP web site (http://ts.nist.gov/Standards/Accreditation/assessor.cfm).
 Each document is protected, meaning that it is either a Microsoft Word form that is locked but
 enabled for data entry, or an Adobe Acrobat PDF file that may be printed. For assistance with
 using electronic Word forms, please see "Tips for Working with Microsoft Word Forms" on this
 web page.

 If an assessor prepares an on-site report document on his/her computer, it is the assessor's
 responsibility to ensure that the correct version of the document has been downloaded and is
 used. This can be done by comparing the revision date of the document (found in the lower left-
 hand corner of each page) with the date of the document posted on the web site.

 Use of unprotected documents

 NVLAP assessors may have access to on-site report documents in the unprotected Microsoft
 Word format for their own use, provided that:

 ·   they do not give unprotected electronic copies to the public, including laboratories, and

 ·   they use only authentic versions of the documents when submitting them, electronically or
     on paper, to an assessed laboratory and to NVLAP.

 "Authentic" versions are those on-site assessment documents posted on the NVLAP web site, or
 those enclosed with an on-site assessment package that is mailed to an assessor. Requests for
 unprotected copies of checklists or other documents should be directed to the NVLAP Quality
 Manager, Vanda White, at 301-975-3592 or .

 Please contact your NVLAP Program Manager if you have any questions about the technical
 content of the checklists and forms that you use for on-site assessments.