The authority charged with developing and controlling standards in Chile is The National Standards Institute (INN), which has a long-term plan to develop standards for primary sectors such as mining (copper), forestry, agriculture, and wine.
In most sectors, there are no mandatory standards and companies may choose to comply with them or not. However, imported products in the fields of industrial safety, building and construction materials, and gas and electrical industries must comply with the requirements created by the authorities. There are specific regulations pertaining to the seismic resistance of new construction.
This mix of voluntary and mandatory application of standards across different sectors and industries can be confusing. It is important to check carefully how they should be applied in each case. International standards such as ISO9000 and ISO14000 are promoted by INN and are being adopted by both local and international companies.
For product testing, there is a list of national testing agencies, which is organised by:
● Testing laboratories
● System quality auditors
● Inspection organisations
● Product certification
● Calibration laboratories
● Quality Management Systems (QMS)
● Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
The complete list can be located at the following link under “Directorio de Acreditados”. Some of the better known international standards offices in Chile are Lloyd’s, Bureau Veritas and SGS.
