Ministry checks conformity of 840 factory samples in 2018

Business Saturday 09/February/2019 14:17 PM
By: Times News Service
Ministry checks conformity of 840 factory samples in 2018

Muscat: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that the Department of Conformity of the Directorate General for Standards and Metrology collected 840 samples from 216 factories for a conformity check in 2018, compared with 592 samples from 208 factories in 2017. The samples were collected as part of the ministry's drive to check the conformity levels in these factories.
Fatima Bint Ali Al Saririyah, head of the inspection and quality control department of the Directorate General of Standards and Metrology, said: "Inspection is a part of the control process. It is needed to verify if the requirements of standard specifications are fulfilled, and laws to protect the health and safety of consumers and the environment are taken into consideration."
"The main objective of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is to provide technical advice to the factories of the country to aid them in the implementation of specifications, which eventually leads to the improvement of the quality of Omani products," she added.
The Inspection and Quality Control Department of the Directorate General of Standards and Metrology inspects local factories in accordance with its annual inspection plan. It also takes samples to verify the conformity. The plan also includes the collection of random samples of imported products and field visits to factories to verify their compliance with the standard specifications and application of concerned rules and regulations, she said.
Al Saririyah said that as part of the preparation for the annual plan of inspection, products and goods traded, and companies and factories that produce them, are identified. Similarly, the programme of collection of samples and repetition of collection of samples three times a year are also determined.
She said that during their visits, experts collect a number of samples according to standard specifications and fill the required data in forms specifically prepared for this purpose. After that, they move these samples from testing and examination if they fulfill the requirements of the standard specifications. The department also carries out inspections in local factories to ascertain levels of compliance of food factories with the health terms and conditions required for the preparation of food items and the workers. This is in accordance with the Gulf Standard No. 21/1984. During the visits to factories, the inspectors record violations if there are any, and prepare a report of the visit, and then a notice is sent to the company/factory demanding corrective action in a specific period. Then again, a follow up at these factories is conducted to see if they are abiding by their obligations and applied health conditions.
Al Saririyah said that the annual inspection plan also included factories and companies which export their products out of the Sultanate and want to obtain health certificates or certificates of export validity. These certificates are issued on the basis of the results of the periodic inspections and testing and examination of products and commodities.