(a) In order for BSEE to approve an AB, the organization must satisfy the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO/IEC 17011) Conformity assessment—General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies, First Edition 2004-09-01; Corrected Version 2005-02-15 (incorporated by reference as specified in §250.198) or its equivalent.

(1) The AB must have an accreditation process that meets or exceeds the requirements contained in Section 6 of Requirements for Accreditation of Audit Service Providers Performing SEMS Audits and Certification of Deepwater Operations, COS-2-04 (incorporated by reference as specified in §250.198) or its equivalent, and other requirements specified in this subpart. Organizations requesting approval must submit documentation to BSEE describing the process for assessing an ASP for accreditation and approving, maintaining, and withdrawing the accreditation of an ASP. Requests for approval must be sent to DOI/BSEE, ATTN: Chief, Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs, 381 Elden Street, HE-3314, Herndon, VA 20170.

(2) An AB may be subject to BSEE audits and other requirements deemed necessary to verify compliance with the accreditation requirements.

(b) An AB must have procedures in place to avoid conflicts of interest with the ASP and make such information available to BSEE upon request.

[78 FR 20442, Apr. 5, 2013]