What is Accreditation?
Reliability Through Conformity Assessments
The liberalization of international commerce and the rising expectations of businesses, lawmakers, and consumers have led to a constant rise in the requirements for the quality of products and services. Objective testing, calibrations, inspections, and certifications are consequently crucial for a variety of businesses, including renewable energy, the food and electrical sectors, the health care sector, and environmental protection.
These evaluations make sure that the evaluated goods, processes, services, or systems meet technical minimum criteria, are safe and dependable, and comply with the rules, regulations, and laws that are relevant to the different needs. For this reason, conformity evaluations are another term for these objective attestations.
Trust Through Accreditation
Nonetheless, the reliability of certifications, examinations, tests, or calibrations depends on the skill of the individual providing the assessment service. Therefore, a large number of these so-called conformity evaluation agencies vouch for the caliber of their own output through certification.
They may attest to an independent accrediting authority as part of the accreditation process that they perform their operations with technical competence, in accordance with legal and standards-based criteria, and at a level that is comparable across international borders. The management system and the proficiency of the designated staff members of the conformity assessment body are evaluated and tracked by the accrediting body.
Because of this, accreditations are essential for ensuring the comparability of conformity assessment findings and fostering consumer confidence in the caliber and security of goods and services.
Definition Of The Term Accreditation Pursuant To ISO/IEC 17011
“Accreditation refers to third-party attestation related to a conformity assessment body conveying formal demonstration of its competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks”
