What is Accreditation?
Reliability Through Conformity Assessments
Accreditation is a process by which an independent organization checks the quality of an organization that provides testing, inspection, or certification services. Accreditation is important because it helps to ensure that the services provided by the organization are reliable and trustworthy.
Imagine you are buying a new car. You want to be sure that the car is safe and meets all of the required safety standards. You can do this by checking if the car has been certified by an accredited organization. This means that the organization has been checked and found to be competent and impartial.
Trust Through Accreditation
Accreditation is also important for businesses. Many businesses require their suppliers to be certified by accredited organizations. This is because accreditation helps to reduce risk for businesses. For example, if a business is using a certified supplier, it is less likely that the supplier will make a mistake that could lead to a product recall or other problems.
There are many different types of accreditation, including accreditation of testing laboratories, inspection bodies, and certification bodies. There are also accreditation programs for other types of organizations, such as educational institutions, healthcare organizations, and social service organizations.
The accreditation process typically involves the following steps:
- The organization applies for accreditation to an accreditation body.
- The accreditation body assesses the organization’s management system, quality management system, and technical competence.
- The accreditation body conducts an on-site assessment of the organization’s facilities and operations.
- If the organization meets the accreditation body’s standards, it is awarded accreditation.
- The accredited organization is required to maintain its accreditation by undergoing regular surveillance and reassessment.
Accreditation is a valuable tool for businesses and consumers. Accreditation helps to ensure the quality and reliability of services, and it can help businesses to improve their quality and performance, reduce risk and liability, and access new markets and customers.
