Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such ascertification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks (such as certification, inspection and testing).[1]
Accreditation bodies are established in many economies with the primary purpose of ensuring that conformity assessment bodies are subject to oversight by an authoritative body. Accreditation bodies, that have been peer evaluated as competent, sign regional and international arrangements to demonstrate their competence. These accreditation bodies then assess and accredit conformity assessment bodies to the relevant standards.
An authoritative body that performs accreditation is called an 'accreditation body'. TheInternational Accreditation Forum (IAF) andInternational Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) provide international recognitions to accreditation bodies. There are many internationally recognized accreditation bodies approved by the IAF and ILAC.
The Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC) is the largest accreditation body in the Middle East, whereas in South Asia thePakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) andNational Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL),Quality Council of India (QCI) are the largest. In East Asia, the China National Accreditation Board is the largest, while theUnited Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the largest in Europe. TheNational Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) and theJoint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) being the largest in the Oceania region, with theSouth African National Accreditation System being the largest in Africa.
For most of the accreditation schemes,international standards issued by theInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO) are used.
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Accreditation processes are used in a wide variety of fields:
Many accreditation bodies, such as the UKAS, EIAC, EGAC, PNAC, IAS, NABCB operate according to processes developed by the ISO as specified inISO/IEC 17011.[2] Accredited entities in specific sectors must provide evidence to the accreditation body that they conform to other standards in the same series:
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