About Accreditation
What We Do!
Accreditation serves as a formal validation of competence, authority, and credibility.
Organizations issuing identifiers or certifying third parties against standards are officially accredited by accrediting bodies, earning the title of "accredited certification bodies." This process ensures their certification practices meet acceptable standards, indicating competence, ethical behavior, and the implementation of robust quality assurance measures.
• While the terms "recognition" and "certification" are often used interchangeably in everyday language, they hold distinct meanings.
• ISO defines accreditation as "third-party verification related to a conformance assessment body, formally demonstrating its ability to perform specific conformance assessment functions" (ISO/IEC 17000:2004).
• Certification, on the other hand, is described as "third-party verification related to products, processes, systems, or people" (ISO/IEC 17000:2004).
• Conformance assessment bodies accredited by ISO are commonly referred to as accredited CABs.
• These accredited CABs extend certification and inspection services to organizations, with a primary focus on certified management systems, including:
General management systems applicable to all organizations:
• Quality Management Systems (QMS - ISO 9001)
• Environmental Management Systems (EMS - ISO 14001)
• Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHS - 18001)
• Energy Management System (EnMS - ISO 50000)
Regional management systems specific to certain industries:
• Food Safety Management System (FSMS - ISO 22000)
• Information Security Management System (ISMS - ISO 27001)
• Learning Services for Non-formal Education and Training (ISO - 29990)
• Technical Specifications for Automobile Industries (TS/ISO - 16949)
• Medical Devices - Quality Management Systems (ISO - 13485)
This diverse range of certifications ensures that organizations across various sectors can benefit from accredited and recognized conformance assessment bodies, fostering trust and compliance on a global scale.