ISO 9003 1994 in Plain English


ISO 9003	4.10 Product inspection and testing
4.10.1 General	Develop procedures to inspect, test, and verify that final products meet all specified requirements. Also ensure that appropriate product testing and inspection records are developed, and that your procedures ensure that these records are properly maintained.
4.10.2 Receiving inspection	Your organization's final inspection and testing procedures should ensure that: Final products are inspected, tested, and approved before they are sold to customers. Prior tests and inspections are used when conformity cannot be fully verified on the finished product. Make sure that your organization's final inspection and testing records show: That your products were inspected and tested. That your products conform to specified requirements. Who inspected or tested your final products. Who authorized the release of inspected products.


ISO 9003	4.11 Control of inspection equipment
4.11.1 General	Develop procedures to control, calibrate, and maintain inspection, measuring, and test equipment used to demonstrate that products conform to requirements. The amount of measurement uncertainty should be known and should be reasonable given the degree of precision required to establish that the product meets requirements. In order to prove that your equipment is capable of verifying the acceptability of your products, it should be checked and rechecked on a regular basis. Every time equipment is checked to ensure that it is capable of verifying that products are acceptable, the results should be properly recorded. Whenever your customers must confirm that your inspection, measuring, and test equipment is reliable and appropriate, make sure you allow them to do so.
4.11.2 Control procedures	Develop procedures to ensure that your measurement equipment is appropriate, effective, and secure. Your procedures should specify: What kinds of measurements must be made. What kinds of measurement methods must be used. How accurate these measurements should be. Which quality measurement equipment should be used. What kinds of environmental conditions are suitable. How and where your equipment should be stored. How equipment will be protected from harm. Develop procedures to calibrate all of your quality oriented inspection, measuring, and test equipment. Your procedures should ensure that: Calibration methods are clearly defined. Equipment is calibrated on a regular basis. Equipment calibration status is clearly shown. Calibration acceptance criteria are clearly specified. Equipment is calibrated against official standards. Calibrations are carried out in a suitable environment. Calibration documents and records are maintained. Calibration records are accurate and up-to-date. Appropriate remedial actions are taken whenever calibration results are found to be unacceptable. Valid calibration settings are protected from unauthorized adjustment. Previous calibration results are rechecked whenever equipment is found to be out-of-calibration.

ISO 9003

4.12 Inspection and test status of products

Control the inspection status of your products

Develop procedures to control the inspection status
of your products. These procedures should ensure that:

Each and every product is identified as having passed
or failed the required tests and inspections.
The test status of each product is documented and respected throughout the production, installation, and servicing process.
Only products that have passed all tests and inspections are subsequently used or sold to customers (unless an exception
is made under section 4.13.2 below).

ISO 9003

4.13 Control of nonconforming products

Control nonconforming products

Control nonconforming products in order
to prevent inappropriate use or delivery.

Make sure that nonconforming products are:
- Identified, evaluated, and documented.
- Segregated from products that conform.
Also make sure that you:
- Notify all relevant persons when your products
  do not conform to specified requirements.
- Record the actual condition of any nonconforming
  product that is, nevertheless, accepted and used.
- Record a description of the repairs that
  were made to nonconforming products.
- Re-test and re-inspect products that
  have been repaired or reworked.

ISO 9003

4.14 Corrective action requirements

Take corrective actions

Take corrective actions to handle product
nonconformities. Make sure that:

Product nonconformities are identified by analyzing final inspection and test reports and by reviewing customer complaints & feedback.
Product nonconformities are thoroughly investigated.
Actions to correct nonconformities are implemented.
Corrective measures are fed back into the
quality system review process (see 4.1.3).


ISO 9003	4.15 Handling, storage, and delivery
4.15.1 General	Develop and document procedures to handle, store, package, preserve, and deliver your products.
4.15.2 Handling	Develop product handling methods and procedures that prevent product damage or deterioration.
4.15.3 Storage	Designate secure areas to store and protect products. Develop procedures which specify how products will be: Placed into storage. Removed from storage. Protected from damage, deterioration, or destruction during storage. Monitored and evaluated to detect damage or deterioration while in storage.
4.15.4 Packaging	Develop packing, packaging, and marking methods and procedures to protect and control the quality of products and packaging materials.
4.15.5 Preservation	Develop methods and procedures to protect and preserve product quality prior to delivery while the product is still under your organization's supervision and control. Ensure that products are segregated from one another.
4.15.6 Delivery	Develop procedures to protect your products after final testing and inspection, and during product delivery (when the latter is contractually required).

ISO 9003

4.16 Control of quality records

Develop a quality record keeping system

Develop a quality record keeping system, and control its use. Your quality record keeping system should:

Show that your quality system is implemented.
Prove that your quality system works properly.
Prove that finished products meet requirements.
Specify how long old records should be retained.
Produce documents that are dated and easy to read.

ISO 9003

4.17 Internal quality audit requirements

Develop internal audit procedures

Develop internal quality audit procedures which:

Determine whether quality activities and results comply
with written quality plans, procedures, and programs.
Evaluate the performance of your quality system.
Verify the effectiveness of your corrective actions.

These procedures should also ensure that:

Audit activities are properly planned.
Auditors are independent of the people
whose activities are being audited.
Audit results, corrective actions, and corrective
action results and consequences are properly recorded.
Audit conclusions are discussed with the people whose activities
and results are being audited, and deficiencies are corrected
by the managers of the audited areas.
Audit reports are fed back into the quality system review
process (see section 4.1.3).

ISO 9003

4.18 Training requirements

Develop training procedures

Make sure that the people who perform final inspection and testing activities are competent, and make sure that a record of their competence is kept. Make sure that:

Training is provided to anyone who performs final inspections and testing activities.
Anyone who performs final inspections and testing activities is suitably experienced and qualified.
Accurate and appropriate training records are kept.



ISO 9003 1994 Requirements in Plain English
ISO 9003 is for Organizations that Assure Quality through Final Inspection and Testing
PAGE TWO OF TWO	GO TO PAGE ONE

ISO 9003 is now obsolete. It has been replaced by ISO 9001:2000!
Are you looking for the ISO 90003 2004 Software Standard?

PAGE TWO OF TWO
ISO 9003	4.8 Product identification and tracing
Track your products	Develop and document procedures to identify and track all of your products. Track your products or product batches by means of unique identifiers and suitable record keeping.


ISO 9003	4.20 Statistical techniques
Select and use statistical techniques	Select the statistical techniques that you will need in order to control and verify your product characteristics. Use your statistical techniques and control how they are used.

ISO 9003:1994 is now obsolete. It has been replaced by ISO 9001:2000.


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ISO 9003 1994 Requirements in Plain English