CSA A660-10 Certification of Manufacturers of Steel Building Systems

Overview of Certification Requirement

Definition: A steel building system is an integrated assembly of manufactured steel

structural components and cladding components specifically designed by the
manufacturer to support and transfer loads and provide a complete or partial building
shell.

The Certification Program: Certification applies to the company's manufacturing facility

coupled with its associated design facility. Reference to CAN/CSA A660 can be found in
CAN/CSA S16-01.

Prerequisite: The manufacturer shall be certified by Canadian Welding Bureau in

Division 1 or Division 2 of CSA Standard W47.1, Certification of Companies For Fusion
Welding of Steel Structures, if applicable.

The Audit: The manufacturer's capability shall be assessed based on an audit of its
facilities, including items such as personnel, design and engineering, materials control,
fabrication, warehousing, packaging and shipping, erection responsibility and plant
quality program. Audits may be required at subcontracted facilities.

Application

Application for A660-10 can be made by completing Application for Certification form
and List of Personnel form which can be found on our website. By completing these
forms and returning them to QUASAR, the manufacturer will have identified the location
of the plant to be certified and the associated design facility (or design facilities). The
design facility can be remote from the plant location. Other plants located elsewhere
can be certified using the same design facility or a different design facility, whichever is
applicable.

QUASAR assesses the application information and advises the manufacturer of the
Initial Certification Fee, and also the annual Certification Renewal Fee for subsequent
years.

The certification process begins following payment of the Initial Certification Fee. Early in
the process the manufacturer must prepare and submit its Quality Manual to QUASAR
for review.

Certification Procedure

The CAN/CSA- A660 Standard prescribes the certification procedure based on an audit
of the manufacturer's manufacturing and design facilities. The audit covers the following
items:

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 personnel

design and engineering

materials control

fabrication

warehousing, packaging and shipping

erection responsibility

plant quality program

certificate of manufacturing conformance

Personnel

The manufacturer must employ or retain personnel qualified by training and experience
to design, detail, specify, fabricate, and provide erection procedure instructions.
Personnel qualifications must be documented, and authority assigned to each must be
detailed in an operational plan that defines the organization. Written job descriptions are
required.

Design and Engineering

The manufacturer must maintain design, engineering, and detailing capabilities.

There must be at least one qualified professional engineer responsible for supervising
and approving all engineering and design work, whether in- house or by outside design
services.

Master copies of National Building Code of Canada, other applicable Codes and
Standards, drawings and specifications for the building components must be kept
current and available.

The responsible professional engineer must ensure there are comprehensive

instructions for erection of the building system, and that all drawings issued to the public
are sealed.

Materials Control

Material specifications must be readily available and kept current.

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Purchasing practices must ensure that materials specified are suitable for intended use;
and that those specified are actually ordered , received and used.

All materials in inventory must be identifiable, including random items returned to

inventory.

Steel for structural framing, structural fasteners, electrodes and sheet steel cladding for
exterior surfaces must conform to pertinent CSA Standards or applicable ASTM
Standards as noted in the Standard CAN/CSA- A660. Prefinished sheet steel colour
coated panels of silicone polyester or fluorocarbon paint systems are permitted for
exterior surfaces.

Fabrication

The manufacturer must be certified under CSA Standard W47.1, Certification of

Companies for Fusion Welding of Steel Structures, if welding is part of manufacture. If
resistance welding is involved, certification under CSA Standard W55.3, Resistance
Welding Qualification Code for Fabricators of Structural Members Used in Buildings,
also is required.

Fabrication must conform to the requirements of CSA Standards S16 and S136, for Limit
States Design of Steel Structures and Cold Formed Steel Structural Members
respectively. Structural framing members must be painted with one coat of shop primer,
and must be positively identified by markings prior to shipping.

Warehouse

The manufacturer must demonstrate that the facility is suitable for handling all materials,
that packaging procedures pertinent to shipping modes are followed, and that shipping
practices such as blocking, banding, etc., are carried out.

Plant Quality Program

The manufacturer must establish a policy on quality assurance, prepare a quality

manual, and implement their documented standards and procedures for quality control.
The quality manual must include a hierarchy chart clearly indicating the lines of authority.

The quality manual must include implemented inspection procedures which verify the
quality of products at receiving, in- process, and prior to shipping. If testing is required,
then procedures must be specified. Records must be maintained as evidence of proper
manufacturing and quality control.

Sublet work and purchased items are subject to the conditions stated in the Standard,
and the manufacturer's plant quality program shall apply.

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The manufacturer must develop its own internal audit to confirm that the staff are
adhering to the requirements of the quality program.

Administration

QUASAR grants certification to each plant that has successfully fulfilled the
requirements of the Standard CAN/CSA- A660. At this time the company must pay its
first annual certification fee.

QUASAR makes periodic audits, at least once per year, and renews the certification of
manufacturers who continue to satisfy the requirements of the Standard CAN/CSA-
A660.

QUASAR must be advised within thirty (30) days of any change in key personnel,
equipment or policy from that which was in effect at the time of the audit. Where there is
a change in key personnel, an acceptable designate must be in place within thirty (30)
days from the notification.
Withdrawal of Certification

A manufacturer that fails to maintain its qualification as required by the Standard shall
forfeit its certification, and must surrender its certificate of certification to QUASAR. The
manufacturer may apply for recertification at any time, provided the requirements of
certification are met.

Certificate of Conformance

The manufacturer must prepare a certificate of design and manufacturing conformance

for each steel building system supplied. The certificate identifies the manufacturer,
customer and site location, pertinent design Codes and Standards, and states the
design loading. The certificate must be signed, dated and sealed by the responsible
professional engineer, attesting to the review of the design and manufacturing
processes.
 

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