Edition 2.1 - March 2020 DOWNLOAD
Introduction
To ensure quality-demining operations and guarantee that the land released to owner(s) is safe, the Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC) uses a two-stage Quality Management (QM) approach to the oversight of IAs that is compliant with the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)’s QM standards. The LMAC’s QM process starts with the accreditation of Implementing Agencies (IAs) that submit appropriate and professional SOPs for LMAC appraisal which must be accepted before the IA is authorized to work in Lebanon. Each IA must have accreditation for the organization itself, their operating tools and procedures, their team(s), and their team members before they are allocated any demining task. The accreditation process is designed to ensure that the IA is well managed and experienced, appropriately staffed and equipped, and uses management systems and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that allow them to conduct quality operations that comply with the NMAS. The accreditation process also helps all IAs, irrespective of their size, to develop and adopt operational processes that are appropriate for the context in Lebanon. In Lebanon, accreditation is granted at three levels: organizational accreditation, team accreditation, and individual accreditation. A certificate is issued for each level with a validity of at least one year. Organization and Team Accreditation is generally renewable based on LMAC having conducted successful on-site QA and QC assessments as long as appropriate performance levels have been achieved in the previous year. At the discretion of LMAC, individual accreditation may require renewal after a stand-down of 10 calendar days or more. Generally, individual accreditation is suspended after 10 days and then automatically reinstated after the individual has passed a refresher or continuation training course. The LMAC signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the accredited IA outlining the scope of work that they may be tasked to undertake. The requirements of the MoU may, in combination with the task dossier and task order, inform the QA/QC monitoring process.