Edition 2.1 - March 2020 DOWNLOAD
Introduction
To ensure the quality of operations and guarantee that the work conducted results in land released to owner(s) that is safe, the Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC) uses a two-stage Quality Management (QM) approach that is compliant with the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)’s QM standards. The first stage is Quality Assurance (QA) and focuses on all of the processes used during Land Release. It 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. Quality Assurance checks may be made at every stage of operations, including planning and training, and are designed to ensure that the accredited IA works to their approved SOPs and conducts the work in compliance with the NMAS and the LMAC’s directions. The second stage of QM is Quality Control (QC) which focuses on the inspection of the final product, the land that is presented by the IA as being safe for release, and should be conducted before it is formally handed over to its owner(s). This NMAS focuses on the second part of stage one, the QA monitoring of demining organizations and their mine action activities. Although QA monitoring is internally conducted by all accredited IAs, it is also conducted externally by the LMAC’s QA/QC Section. This NMAS focuses mainly on the external monitoring conducted by the LMAC on IAs engaged in demining activities but provides principles and guidance that should be followed by all of the IAs engaged in any mine action activity. External QA monitoring aims to ensure that accredited IAs apply their approved quality management processes and SOPs in a manner that will result in the safe, effective, and efficient delivery of the goals. Without ever compromising safety to the public or HMA staff, monitoring is conducted on demining IAs with the aim of achieving a goal that is aimed at by all HMA stakeholders in Lebanon. This goal is the safe and efficient release of hazardous land for civil use. Sharing the same goal, monitoring should be conducted pragmatically with the aim of helping the IA being monitored to achieve that goal. Efficient QA monitoring is an essential part of the continuous cycle of improvement that is a Quality Management requirement. In pursuit of gathering data to inform continuous improvement, this NMAS includes guidance and standards for the collection and analysis of data about the performance of demining procedures and assets, in addition to on-site visits.