What is Accreditation?
Third-party attestation that a conformity assessment body is competent to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks.
Accreditation at a glance
Growing demands on the quality of products and services, in domestic and international trade, require compliance with technical regulations, standards and other measures covering health, safety and quality.
In regulated systems, government authorities approve products and services for reasons of health, safety, environmental protection, fraud prevention or market fairness. In voluntary systems, industry sectors establish conformity assessment and certification procedures to achieve specified standards for products, processes and systems — enabling market access, comparability and fair competition.
Accreditation activity
Conformity assessment — inspection, testing and certification — is carried out by conformity assessment bodies (CABs) with the necessary competence. There is increasing demand for independent verification of each CAB's competence, impartiality and credibility. This verification is the role of an accreditation body, which acts impartially towards both CABs and their clients.
Accreditation is available to testing and calibration laboratories, medical laboratories, certification bodies, inspection bodies and bodies certifying persons.
Benefits of being accredited
Building trust
Customers increasingly seek assurance about the products and services they buy. Accreditation gives them confidence in the quality of what you provide.
Market acceptance
Customers and markets more readily accept certificates, test results and inspection reports issued by an accredited body.
Minimising risk
Accredited organisations reduce the risk of unreliable results, services and products, and are better able to meet customer expectations.
Reducing costs
Savings from improved productivity, reduced downtime and less re-testing can outweigh the cost of accreditation.
Demonstrating credibility
An accredited body can demonstrate competence — and therefore credibility — to clients, regulators and the public.
Apply for accreditation
Contact IACAB to discuss the scheme, scope and timeline for your organisation.