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Why use an accreditedcertification body? Third party management
systems certificationis a frequently specified requirement to
operatein the global market place. It can demonstratecompliance to
a standard, a code of practice orregulatory requirements. It can
also deliverinternal business improvement.
Certified OnceAccepted Everywhere
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Why use an accredited certification body?Selecting the right
organisation to carry out your certification can be fraughtwith
unknowns. Choosing a certification body that has been accredited by
anaccreditation body that is a signatory to the IAF Multilateral
Recognition
Arrangement (MLA) has proved that it complies with best
practice. It iscompetent to deliver a consistently reliable and
impartial service which meetsthe appropriate,
internationally-recognised standard.
2
What should I consider when selecting aCertification Body?
When selecting an organisation to certify yourmanagement system,
there are a number of factors toconsider:
l Qualifications, training and ongoing competencemonitoring of
staff
l Technically competent people that have the relevantexperience
and sector expertise.
l The certification is recognised by procurers indomestic and
overseas markets.
l The certification independently and impartially
verifies compliance to a standard
Accreditation is the independent evaluation of
certificationbodies against the standard ISO/IEC 17021:
(Requirementsfor bodies providing audit and certification of
management
systems) to ensure their impartiality, competence
andconsistency. The standard sets out the principles
andrequirements for the competence, consistency andimpartiality of
bodies providing audit and certification of management systems
services.
In many countries, accreditation is not mandatory. Itshould be
noted that the fact that a certification body is notaccredited does
not, by itself, mean that it is not a reputableorganization.
However, many certification bodies chooseto seek accreditation in
order to be able to demonstrate
an independent confirmation of their competence
andindependence.
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What are the benefits of using an accredited certification
body?
l de-risk your procurement by taking the guesswork out of
choosing acertification body by giving youconfidence that you will
get the service thatclosely meets your requirements;
l win new business particularly since the use ofaccredited
conformity assessment services isincreasingly a stipulation of
specifiers in both thepublic and private sector;
l gain access to overseas markets since certificatesissued by
bodies that are accredited by an IAF MLAsignatory are recognised
and accepted throughoutthe world;
l help to identify best practice since the certificationbody is
required to have appropriate knowledge of
your business sector;
l control costs with the help of knowledge transfersince
accredited certification bodies can be a goodsource of impartial
advice;
l offer market differentiation and leadership byshowing to
others credible evidence of goodpractice;
l demonstrate due diligence in the event oflegal action;
l reduce paperwork and increase efficiency byreducing the
necessity to re-audit your business.
There are many reasons why you should use the services of an
accredited certification body:
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Areas of management systems certification
4
l Information Security Management Systemscertification (ISO/IEC
27001)
l
Environmental Management Systems certification(ISO14001)
l IT Service Management Systems certification(ISO 20000)
l Food Safety Management Systems certification(ISO 22000)
l Supply Chain Security Management Systemscertification (ISO
28000)
While Quality Management System certification (to ISO 9001)
accounts for a large proportion of work under-taken by
certification bodies, there are other equally important areas of
work, namely:
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How do I find an Accredited Certification Body?
To find out if your country has an accreditation body, visit the
InternationalAccreditation Forum (IAF) website at www.iaf.nu and
use the IAF MLA signatorieslist to identify an accreditation body
in your country or region.
Accreditation bodies in most countries publish lists
ordirectories of the certification bodies they have
accredited,which often include contact details and scope.
Accreditation is the independent evaluation of
certificationbodies against recognised standards to ensure
their
impartiality, competence and consistency.
The purpose of the IAF Multilateral RecognitionArrangement
(MLA), is to ensure mutual recognition ofaccredited certification
between signatories to the MLA,and subsequently acceptance of
accredited certification inmany markets based on one
accreditation.
Accreditation and the IAF MLA help regulators meet theirown
legislated responsibilities by providing a globallyrecognised
system to accept accredited certification.
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Certified OnceAccepted Everywhere
More information about IAF and accreditation
The International Accreditation Forum(IAF) is a global
association of AccreditationBodies, Certification Body Associations
and other organisations involved inconformity assessment activities
in a variety of fields including managementsystems, products and
personnel.
IAF Members work together on a worldwide basis toachieve common
trade facilitation objectives by developingthe principles and
practices for the conduct of conformityassessment that will deliver
the confidence needed formarket acceptance.
For more information contact:
IAF SecretariatElva Nilsen28 Chemin Old ChelseaBox 1811Chelsea,
QuebecCANADA J9B 1A0
Phone: +1 (613) 454 8159Email: [email protected] Copyright
IAF 2011IAF encourages the authorised reproduction of its
publications, or parts thereof, by organisations wishing to use
such material for areas relatedto education, standardisation,
accreditation, good laboratory practice or other purposes relevant
to IAFs area of expertise or endeavour.
Organisations seeking permission to reproduce material from IAF
publications must contact the Chair or Secretariat in writing or
via electronic means such as email. IAFspermission to reproduce its
material only extends as far as detailed in the original request.
Any variation to the stated use of the IAF material must be
notified in advance inwriting to IAF for additional permission.
IAF promotes the worldwide acceptance, of certificatesof
conformity issued by certification bodies accreditedby an IAF MLA
signatory and seeks to add value for allstakeholders through its
activities and programs.
IAF B3 1/2012
