What Is ISO Accreditation?
International Organization for Standardization, OR ISO, accreditation is mostly a voluntary process. The organization is the largest standards developing agency in the world, but does not accredit any business on its own. Instead, accreditation bodies, or companies that specialize in recognizing other organizations as meeting such requirements, conduct the necessary testing and inspections as a service. Established agencies need not be accredited, but most find it beneficial since ISO accreditation is looked upon highly around the world.
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Identification
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Having ISO accreditation means a company that provides certification has an official approval to do so by one of many national accreditation agencies. This is usually designated in specified business sectors, such as food safety and inspection, forensics or education. The ISO has put forth various standards that organizations can follow, such as ISO 9001:2000 or the newer ISO/IEC 17021:2006 standard for management system certification, to improve company operations even if they do not become accredited. However, the accreditation title will affirm to the outside world that they comply with ISO's standards.
Benefits
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Accreditation by an independent organization provides a confirmation that the company is competent in its field and adheres to a certain level of quality in its operations as well as products and services. Becoming accredited is a choice in most countries, and companies do not have to go through the procedures and expenses of being accredited if they don't want to. A national certification body with a good reputation can choose not to become accredited because there isn't a reason to do so. An organization that is not accredited does not mean that it is not reputable.
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Types
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One type of accreditation includes ISO Standard 17025:2005 that covers laboratory testing. The United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service is accredited under this standard for the procedures done at its regulatory laboratories. The Laboratory Accreditation Bureau is one organization that specializes in accrediting other businesses and details the steps a company must take to become accredited, and an option to obtain a price quote, via its website. A similar structure is in place for agriculture, environmental protection, oil and gas, as well as building construction accreditation.
Size
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The ISO is comprised of a network of the national standards institutes of 163 countries, coordinated by a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. Accreditation bodies can be found in all of these countries. The International Accreditation Forum maintains a website with organizations that, among other things, are listed by accreditation body members. Standards ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001: 2004 are implemented worldwide by over a million organizations. Accreditation has become so important that June 9 has been designated World Accreditation Day.
Misconceptions
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Accreditation and another popular term, certification, are sometimes thought of as the same thing, but are different. Organizations and laboratories can be accredited, meaning it has been verified by a third party that they can perform certain test methods and have an appropriate quality management system in place. Certification refers to the credentials of personnel in regards to practicing in the appropriate disciplines, but can also be used to verify that products meet predetermined requirements.
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