QCC Hosts Q3 Meeting of Standing Technical Committees Towards Harmonizing Technical Specifications in Abu Dhabi

• Meeting Discusses Progress in Standardization Projects
• Five Technical Documents Endorsed

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 14 September, 2015 – Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC), the entity responsible for developing quality infrastructure and raising awareness on quality standards in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, convened the third quarter meeting of its Standing Technical Committees (STCs) made up of delegates from various Abu Dhabi Government entities.

Held in Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, the all-day meeting discussed the latest efforts towards establishing common standards across various sectors and included presentations of working groups to STC members about the objectives and progress of these working groups. 

More specifically, the meeting endorsed five technical documents on topics as diverse as plastic pipes, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, asset management systems and interlocking concrete pavers for roads. These documents may be submitted to relevant authorities for endorsement, paving the way for the development of new conformity schemes and standards as recommended by the outcomes.

Mohamed Hilal Al Balooshi, Acting Director of Marketing and Communications at QCC, said: “As part of our mandate to promote unified standards and harmonized technical specifications in Abu Dhabi, QCC collaborates with the representatives from concerned Abu Dhabi Government and private entities to periodically review and endorse technical specifications that will translate into efficient processes and successful outcomes for our industrial and economic sectors.

Such collaborations help us to consistently ensure that only one agreed standard applies for the whole of Abu Dhabi, while serving the requirements of our stakeholders in the areas of standards, conformity assessment, market surveillance, consumer safety, measurement and testing.”

Thanking the working groups for its efforts in developing the technical reports and documents, Al Balooshi added: We are confident that our collaborative efforts will help build a robust economy in Abu Dhabi as envisioned by the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 through the adoption of unified standards and specifications.”

QCC’s Standing Technical Committees (STCs) supervise standardization projects carried out by working groups, and support the implementation of outcomes through constant interaction with the Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology (ESMA).

One of the core functions of the STCs is to unify the standards that are used in various sectors, and to encourage the use of UAE Standards (published by ESMA), as well as to identify the needs for Conformity Assessment / Certification Programs in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council was established in 2009 to raise the quality of the emirate’s exports and locally traded products, while protecting the interests of consumers and supporting the UAE’s competitive economy. This is achieved through empowering regulators to establish and implement product safety, legal metrology and conformity schemes.

QCC also sets guidelines and benchmarks to identify and verify that the products manufactured and traded in Abu Dhabi conform to the highest quality standards. QCC’s activities throughout the emirate of Abu Dhabi complement the efforts of ESMA, the UAE’s national standardization body.