ISO 17020:2012 pdf download – Conformity assessment — Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection.
4.2 Confidentiality 4.2.1 The inspection body shall be responsible, through legally enforceable commitments, for the management of all information obtained or created during the performance of inspection activities. The inspection body shall inform the client, in advance, of the information it intends to place in the public domain. Except for information that the client makes publicly available, or when agreed between the inspection body and the client (e.g. for the purpose of responding to complaints), all other information is considered proprietary information and shall be regarded as confidential. NOTE Legally enforceable commitments can be, for example, contractual agreements. 4.2.2 When the inspection body is required by law or authorized by contractual commitments to release confidential information, the client or individual concerned shall, unless prohibited by law, be notified of the information provided. 4.2.3 Information about the client obtained from sources other than the client (e.g. complainant, regulators) shall be treated as confidential. 5 Structural requirements 5.1 Administrative requirements 5.1.1 The inspection body shall be a legal entity, or a defined part of a legal entity, such that it can be held legally responsible for all its inspection activities. NOTE A governmental inspection body is deemed to be a legal entity on the basis of its governmental status. 5.1.2 An inspection body that is part of a legal entity involved in activities other than inspection shall be identifiable within that entity. 5.1.3 The inspection body shall have documentation which describes the activities for which it is competent.
5.2.5 The inspection body shall have available one or more person(s) as technical manager(s) who have overall responsibility to ensure that the inspection activities are carried out in accordance with this International Standard. NOTE This person fulfilling this function does not always have the title of technical manager. The person(s) fulfilling this function shall be technically competent and experienced in the operation of the inspection body. Where the inspection body has more than one technical manager, the specific responsibilities of each manager shall be defined and documented. 5.2.6 The inspection body shall have one or more named person(s) who will deputize in the absence of any technical manager responsible for ongoing inspection activities. 5.2.7 The inspection body shall have a job description or other documentation for each position category within its organization involved in inspection activities.