What is ALSC and why are they visiting my facility?
(More news)Many of NELMA’s Export Wood Packaging facilities may have already been visited one or more times by a representative of the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) since subscribing to our services. Those who haven’t likely will be in the future as part of the random inspection procedures established by ALSC for the program. On several occasions, the NELMA office has received calls from the facility rightfully questioning the validity of an unknown body asking to see their facility and inspect their overall export packaging process.
These visits are ligitimate and a written component of the program to ensure accredited agencies under ALSC, such as NELMA, are performing their duties to uphold the International Standard for Wood Packaging. This is all part of ALSC’s function pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding they have with the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to administer the U.S. program under the IPPC ISPM 15 global standard.
All NELMA facilities must agree to these visits as noted in the NELMA Agreement to Provide Service to a Wood Packaging Manufacturing Facility, which is signed prior to initiating service. Please note Item #8 under “the Facility Agrees”, which states “To authorize representatives of the ALSC Board of Review the continuing right to examine any accredited agency grade stamped or quality marked wood or wood packaging material at the point where the Agency official quality mark is being used, and to spot check any products bearing the Facility’s quality mark wherever such products are encountered “.
When an ALSC representative visits your facility, he or she will be checking precisely the same items, paperwork, etc. that your NELMA inspector checks on his regular visits. To learn more about the American Lumber Standard Committee and their programs, please visit their website at www.alsc.org.
Should you have questions regarding an ALSC inspection visit, please feel free to give our office a call at 207-829-6901 or email info@nelma.org.
