What are expected outcomes for the certification?

ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications are commonly used by both private and public organizations to build trust in their products and services. This trust extends to business partnerships, supplier selection in supply chains, and eligibility to bid for procurement contracts.

The International Accreditation Forum System (IAFS) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have collaborated to outline the anticipated results of being certified to ISO management system standards like ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. This collaboration aims to create a shared understanding across the entire assessment process, enhancing the value and importance of accredited certification.

If you want more details, you can download the document titled "Expected Outcomes for Accredited Certification to ISO Management System Standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001" from the Documents for General Information section.

What is Certification?

Certification is an official confirmation provided by a third party regarding products, processes, systems, or individuals. This definition is based on ISO/IEC 17000 Conformity Assessment—Vocabulary and General Principles.

Certification is commonly linked with ISO 9001 and the environmental management systems standard ISO 14001. However, there are certification programs for various management systems standards, such as ISO/IEC 27001 for information security, ISO 22000 for food safety, ISO 50001 for energy management, and ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety.

Organizations can also get certified for private sector schemes like FAMI-QS, FSSC 22000, IPC Management System Auditors, ICAO CORSIA, or GLOBALG.A.P. IFA. Product certification involves verifying that a product, including services and processes, meets the requirements outlined in contracts, regulations, or specifications.

Personnel certification is the process of confirming that an individual possesses the necessary experience, knowledge, skills, or other attributes to meet specific requirements. In most countries, accreditation is voluntary. However, many certification bodies choose to seek accreditation to demonstrate third-party confirmation of their competence.

What is an Accredited Body?

An organization that offers services like certification, testing, calibration, inspection, and other assessments can seek accreditation. Being accredited means it has proven to fully meet the requirements of relevant national and international standards.

To judge a certification body's competence, the criteria are based on applicable national or international standards (such as ISO/IEC 17024, ISO/IEC 17065, ISO/IEC 17021). These criteria consider the qualifications, knowledge, skills, training, and experience of staff; the use of proper equipment that is well-calibrated and maintained; having effective quality assurance procedures; and using suitable sampling practices.

Accredited bodies can be either private or government-owned and can vary in size from individual practitioners to large, multi-disciplinary organizations with multiple locations. The International Accreditation Forum System (IAFS) oversees accreditation in various fields like management systems, products, processes, services, personnel, validation, verification, and similar conformity assessment programs.

What is an accreditation Body?

An accreditation body is an official organization that grants accreditation. Sometimes, it derives its authority from the government.

The main job of an accreditation body is to evaluate organizations that provide services like certification, testing, inspection, and calibration (collectively known as conformity assessment bodies). Accreditation is a way to show that these organizations are competent, unbiased, and capable of performing well.

Accreditation bodies usually function as non-profit organizations. The International Accreditation Forum System (IAFS) is responsible for overseeing accreditation in areas like management systems, products, services, personnel, and other similar conformity assessment programs.

What is Accreditation?

Accreditation is an independent evaluation process where conformity assessment bodies are assessed against recognized standards to ensure they are both impartial and competent in carrying out specific activities like tests, calibrations, inspections, and certifications.

The International Accreditation Forum System (IAFS) oversees accreditation in various areas such as management systems, products, processes, services, personnel, validation, verification, and similar conformity assessment programs. Meanwhile, global management of laboratory and inspection accreditation is handled by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

By applying national and international standards, accreditation provides confidence in the results of calibration and tests, inspection reports, certifications, and validation and verification statements. Accreditation bodies are established in many countries to ensure that conformity assessment bodies are effectively supervised by a reputable authority.

What is Conformity Assessment?

Conformity assessment is the process of showing that what is being provided actually meets the specified or claimed requirements. This process can be applied to various things like a product, service, process, system, organization, or even individuals. It involves activities such as testing, inspection, and certification.

As products and services become more technically complex, it becomes increasingly important to demonstrate compliance with standards and other criteria. Conformity assessment plays a crucial role in building consumer confidence. It is an essential part of an economy's business infrastructure, particularly in the context of standards and conformance.