PG 16 Sampling plan

A - INTRODUCTION

This sampling plan shall be used within the application of the inspection procedure PG 16. It applies
to the two both PSI and VoC activities of Bureau Veritas GSIT.
It replaces the 2 previous sampling plans (PSI Sampling plan and VOC Sampling plan) from which
concepts have been merged.
The sampling method has been defined taking into account the standards listed in Reference at the
end of the guideline, the extensive experience of Bureau Veritas in PSI and VoC programs and the
recommendations of the World Trade Organization.
In absence of a defined sampling plan determined by the country of destination, this document shall
be applied to determine the minimum number of items that shall be drawn during inspection from the
shipment for visual inspection and generation of Inspection Report and photographing (as required).
The figures indicated in this procedure represent the number of elements to be checked. The inspector
has to select the samples on his own without interference from the exporters (or importers)
representative.
A reinforced sampling plan has been defined and shall be applied when there is not enough details
about the products to be inspected or when there is an increased risk of non-conformity
Otherwise, the normal sampling plan applies.
In this document, a line item is understood to be a quantifiable group -generally by number and unit
nature (Piece, Set, Kg,..) of identical products classified under an unique reference.
It is a type of product identified by a description in the commercial documentation (packing list, PFI).
It usually corresponds to a line of the PFI.

PICs and Issuing offices are encouraged to educate exporters to provide clear and
detailed invoices / Packing lists in order to get the application of the normal sampling
plan.

It is essential that any inspector fully understands this sampling plan and applies it as
specified.
Do not hesitate to request additional guidance from your PIC.

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B- INSPECTION PROCESS AND SAMPLING

The following sequential process shall be followed.
Before starting the inspection, the exporters (or importers) representative shall show the exact
location of the consignment.
Take a few photos of the consignment.
The inspector shall apply the sampling plan on the consignment by applying the following steps:
1- start by determining which level od sampling plan (normal or reinforced) applies (see C1).
The PIC or Issuing Office may instruct the inspector on the level (normal or reinforced) to be applied
2- Determine the number of line items to be checked (table C2.1).
Then select the line items to be checked (see C2.2)
The PIC or Issuing Office may instruct the inspector on the line items checked
3: for each selected line item:
Verify the quantity of the line item (C3.0).
Determine the number of samples to be taken for the visual inspection (table C3.1)
Select the samples and verify them (C3.2)
Photos are taken and inspection report filled in (detail of the line item, number of samples checked,
quantity) during the inspection. Any non-conformity detected will lead to the application of an
additional sampling plan (due to the non-conformity detected, the level of the additional sampling plan
is reinforced) (see C4).

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C1 LEVEL OF SAMPLING
Normal or reinforced sampling plan ?
The normal sampling plan applies when:
The verification of quantity can be done by counting only (no measurement required)
and
The PFI / Packing list gives a clear and accurate description and quantity of each line item
When one of these conditions is not met or when the issuing office or PIC requests it, the reinforced
sampling plan applies.

Decision chart:

Notes:
The additional sampling plan required in case of detection of a Non-Conformity is always reinforced
(See flowchart of part B and part C4).
1 Verification of quantity by counting?
The answer is yes when the quantity defined in the invoice (or packing list) taken as reference for
the inspection states a quantity that can be verified by Counting only.
Otherwise, the answer is NO (quantity requires measurement).
Examples: the answer is NO when quantities are in: kg, tons, liters, m3, meters, km
2 Clear invoice / packing list?
To be considered as clear, the invoice/Packing list provided prior carrying out the inspection shall
lists the line items and describe them in an appropriate manner:
Appropriate descriptions have to be clear and accurate and normally include: Designation (could
refer to a catalogue easily accessible), Brand name, model number, ratings (as applicable for the
kind of products).
Quantity shall also be clearly defined.
No ambiguous description.
Examples of well detailed line items (considered as clear):
67 Televisions, XKF Brand, Model 3249FR black
[it is understood that the quantity here is units]

35 tons Red Onions, in 50kg bags

35 bales (600kg each) Used garment

[used consumer products sold in large quantity for low price

are not supposed to be detailed per model, however the
description shall make very clear the kind of products and
the fact they are used]

Not well defined line items (leading to a reinforced sampling plan):

600
Mobile phones
[mobiles phones: model and brand are not defined]
30 boxes
Blue pens
[quantity per box is not defined nor obvious, description is
not accurate enough]

3 Re-inspection
In case of a re-inspection, the Issuing office or PIC shall decide the level of the re-inspection based
on the reason of the re-inspection. Without any instruction, the procedure applies as is.

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C2 SELECTION OF LINE ITEMS

C2.1 NUMBER OF LINE ITEMS FOR PSI and VOC VERIFICATION
Verification is conducted on a limited number of line items. The number of line items to be checked
depends on the number of line items included in the shipment.
The number of line items to be selected for verification is determined in the following table:
TABLE C2.1

Number of line items

of the consignment
from

Number of line items to be checked

Normal
Reinforced
Sampling plan (normal x2)
Sampling plan

to
1
10
11
21
22
39
40
69
70
99
100
199
200
299
300 and above

All line items

10
11
13
15
17
22
26

All line items

All line items
22
26
30
34
44
52

Line items to be checked can also be determined with graphs on next page

C2.2 SELECTION OF LINE ITEMS FOR VERIFICATION

Line items to be checked shall be selected by the inspector from the packing list (or PFI or similar
document).
It is advisable to focus on line items:
of large quantities,
for which packaging does not allow identification of the product (blank packaging)
for which quantities require measurement (quantities in weight, volume)
with vague description or quantities
However, way of selecting the line items shall not be fully predictable. Part of randomization shall
apply.
Bulk line items shall always be checked

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Graphs representing TABLE C2.1

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C3 VERIFICATION OF THE SELECTED LINE ITEMS

C3.0 VERIFICATION OF QUANTITY
Quantity of the selected line items shall be verified.
The inspector shall check the quantity of each selected line item and make sure that the visual
appearance (boxes, packaging, bags.) of presented products make sense with the description given
in the documentation (PFI/Packing list), if not, the line item shall be selected for verification (C2.2).
Refer to the related part (Verification of the Quantity) in PG16.

C3.1 DETERMINATION OF NUMBER OF SAMPLES TO BE CHECKED

After selection of the line items to be checked (C2.2), the number of samples to be checked per
selected line item is determined by the following table.

TABLE C3.1
Quantity* (pieces/box/bag)
of the line item
To Number
From
of pieces
1
1

Batch of samples to be visually checked

Reinforced sampling
Normal sampling
(normal x 3)

Blank
packaging
1

Printed
packaging
1

Blank
packaging

Printed
packaging

25

26

90

91

150

151

3200

15

3201

35000

21

35001

and more

27

12

*Quantity= actual quantity that has been verified in C3.0

When a non-conformity is detected on part of the samples, then apply a reinforced sampling plan
again on the same line item to try to detect non-conformity on other samples of the same line item
(see C4).
Blank packaging: the product is not visible through its packaging and there is no marking on the
packaging which identifies the product (name, model, trademark, manufacturer ...). Examples:

Printed packaging: The product is in transparent packaging (ex: blister) or the markings on the
packaging identify the product inside: name, brandname, model, manufacturer Examples:

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C3.2 VERIFICATION OF SAMPLES

For the selected line items (C2.2), the inspector chooses samples by drawing** the required quantity
(C3.1) from different locations (top, side, middle,..).
**: the inspector shall ask the trader representative to handle and open the samples that have been
selected by the inspector
Upon completion of the sampling plan, inspector has to proceed to visual inspection, to process his
inspection report/PICL and to report the defects. Any discrepancy observed that may affect the
sampling method (different products, incorrect quantities, irrelevant packing mistakes) is considered as
a critical defect and shall be reported as such in the inspection report and shall lead into additional
sampling (see C4).
When several samples shall be checked for the same line item, the following method applies:
1- Choose 1 Sample from the Batch of samples for deep verification (use Product Sheet, PICL if VoC).
Photos of the packaging, product and its marking will be taken.
2 Perform on the whole Batch of samples a quick verification of the quality and the consistency of
the different units for a same reference. It will include the verification of the assembly, appearance
of the markings (possible detection of issue during marking).
When measurement of quantity is required, it may be limited to the selected samples.

Outer cartons :
If the products are packed and not
visible in a secondary packaging
(parcel, carton) containing the
identical number of the same
products (more than one unit /
parcel): the inspector decides the number of units to be taken per parcel respecting the
following rules:

Up to 4 samples to be checked for the line item (as per C3.1):

Select one sample per carton. Check the quantity in the selected carton(s).
From 5 samples to be checked for the line item:
Select the Samples to be checked from 4 cartons withdrawn from different locations
Select more cartons if the quantity per carton is not enough to meet the total number
of samples to be checked.
Check the quantity in the selected cartons.
Example A:
1 line item to be checked. Quantity = 12,000 units. Blank packaging, normal sampling plan
Samples to be checked (C3.1) = 7
Carton packaging containing 50 Pieces.
Sampling method:
Number of cartons to be checked: 4
Select the 7 samples from 4 cartons

Example B:
1 line item to be checked. Quantity = 200 units. Blank packaging, reinforced sampling plan
Samples to be checked (C3.1) = 15
Carton packaging containing 3 Pieces.
Sampling method:
Number of cartons to be checked shall be more than 4 as 4 cartons only include 4x3=12
products.
Number of cartons to be checked: 5
Select the 15 samples from 5 cartons (all products in this case)
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C4 ADDITIONAL SAMPLING
After being reported in the inspection report, the first non-conformity detected shall result in the
application of the additional sampling plan.
The additional sampling plan applies even if the non-conformity has been corrected on the sample
checked.
The reinforced level applies to the additional sampling plan.
The additional sampling plan applies in addition to the first sampling plan.
Once the first Non Conformity is detected, 2 actions shall be taken:
1 Additional sampling applied on the line item itself and
2 Additional sampling plan applied on the shipment
as detailed below and in the flowchart on next page.
Line items and samples selected under the additional sampling plan shall be different from the ones
selected during the first sampling plan.
1 Additional sampling applied on the line item itself
The reinforced sampling plan is applied again on the line item (table C3.1).
This is to identify whether the Non Conformity is for all the units of the line item or not. There is no
need to apply the additional sampling on the same line item when it is obvious that the non-conformity
applies to the entire quantity of the line item ).
2 Additional sampling plan on the shipment
When a non-conformity (or several non-conformities) is detected on one line item, it shall result in the
application of an additional sampling plan on the consignment.
The number of additional line items to be checked is determined with the application of the reinforced
sampling of table C2.1 and table C3.1.
The additional sampling plan is applied only once (two sampling plans maximum). See flowchart of
part B.
The entire consignment shall be reconsidered by the exporter when non conformities are detected
during the application of the additional sampling plan.

Contact PIC or the issuing office in case of difficulty.

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Additional sampling applied on the line item itself:

D - References
ISO 2859-x: Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes.
ISO/IEC 17020: Conformity assessment General criteria for the operation of various type of bodies performing inspection
Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement of the World Trade Organization
ISO 3951: Acceptance sampling plans to the inspection by variables in statistical process control (SPC). Part 1: Sampling
procedures for inspection by variables. Specification for single sampling plans indexed by acceptance quality limit (AQL) for lotby-lot inspection for a single quality characteristic and a single AQL
ISO 8422: Sequential sampling for inspection by attributes.
ISO 8423: Sequential sampling plans for inspection by variables for percent nonconforming (known standard deviation)
ISO 14560: Acceptance sampling procedures by attributes. Specified quality levels in nonconforming items per million.
ISO 8423: Sequential sampling plans for inspection by variables for percent nonconforming (known standard deviation).
ISO 2854: Statistical interpretation of data. Techniques of estimation and tests relating to means and variances.
ISO 10725: Acceptance sampling plans and procedures for the inspection of bulk materials.
ISO 21247: Combined accept-zero sampling systems and process control procedures for product acceptance.
ISO/TR 8550: Guidance on the selection and usage of acceptance sampling systems for inspection of discrete items lots
(acceptance sampling; guide to sampling by attributes and sampling by variables)
ISO 3494: Statistical interpretation of data. Power of tests relating to means and variances.
ISO 5725: Accuracy of Measurement Methods and Results (Package provides the general principles necessary to accurately
assess measurement methods, results, applications and practical.
ISO 7002: Agricultural food products. Layout for a standard method of sampling from a lot.
ISO 11648: Statistical aspects of sampling from bulk materials. General principles and sampling of particulate materials.

PG16 Sampling plan VoC

Edition 1.0

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2014