CROSQ CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION DAY
(9 June 2008)
June 9th 2008 has been designated as the first International Accreditation Day by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). Accreditation – as independent and authoritative attestation of the competence, impartiality and integrity of conformity assessment bodies (CABs) and in turn the value and credibility of the corresponding attestations of conformity – underpins trust in the global market.
The value of accreditation has been widely recognised and adopted by economies and societies worldwide. Trust, the theme for this year’s International Accreditation Day, has been chosen to highlight the way in which accreditation rules and procedures are harmonized at a worldwide level to underpin free global trade of products and services conforming to customer’s requirements and to legal requirements regarding health and safety and protection of public interests in general.
Accreditation touches, in some way, every level of our lives. When something is supplied, whether it is drinking water or complex IT systems, trust is placed in the supplier. The competence of the supplier can be evaluated through the use of third-party assessment. But it is through accreditation of third-party evaluators that society can have confidence that when something is measured, calibrated, inspected, tested or certified the job has been done competently. The ability to distinguish between a proven, competent evaluator ensures that the selection of a laboratory or certification body is an informed and trusted choice and not a gamble.
In competitive and open markets, both government and business rely on trust to ensure a fair exchange of safe goods and services. The essential aspect of accreditation is that it underpins this confidence because it is a valid means of verifying claims about quality, performance, and reliability. With the globalization not only of trade, but of many other issues such as climate change and environmental protection, security and health, trust must be achieved on a global scale. The use of internationally-recognised standards as the reference criteria for accreditation and the development of the ILAC and IAF Multilateral agreements are therefore key to building trust across borders and promoting best practices in conformity assessment worldwide.
ACCREDITATION – DELIVERING TRUST IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
ILAC and IAF (9 June 2008)
Prepared by Daniel Pierre, the Chair of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and Thomas Facklam, the chair of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
In an era of increasingly rapid change, markets are only able to function properly if purchasers have confidence that standards are being met. Trust is placed with suppliers in a variety of ways: past experience, recommendation, brand preference and so on. The greater the familiarity the more confident the purchasing decision. In today's complex competitive market, it isn't always possible to buy from 'known' sources, particularly when procuring on a global scale. Reassurance is needed to maintain a level of trust and trading confidence. Independent evaluation is the principle source of this reassurance and such trust is underpinned by accreditation.
‘Trust’ is the theme of International Accreditation Day to be celebrated for the first time on June 9th 2008. At the national level, accreditation builds trust in the accredited conformity assessment services and in the corresponding results. Internationally, the multi-lateral agreements established by ILAC and IAF confirm and enhance such trust and eliminate “multiple assessments”, namely the need for products and services, to be re-evaluated in every country that a supplier operates.
A joint ILAC and IAF International Accreditation Day is a fitting occasion to mark the fact that both organisations have become better known and have established strong co-operations with international organisations such as ISO, IEC, UNIDO, BIPM and WADA. The multilateral agreements now operate throughout many economies, and a structure has been put into place to support the development of accreditation and related conformity assessment infrastructure in developing economies. Since 2003, the number of newly established Accreditation Bodies has grown by almost 40%.
Nationally, there is greater recognition of accreditation, in particular from Regulators, who are adopting accreditation as a mechanism to deliver a multi-discipline solution that can support or act as an alternative to Legislation.
As we move into the future, the work of ILAC and IAF will focus on seeking greater recognition in industry, as a means of facilitating global trade, continuing the development of accreditation frameworks in the developing economies, and simplifying the working processes of ILAC and IAF with a view to strengthening the multilateral mutual international recognition through their respective Arrangement and MLA.
ISO ADVISES MANAGERS HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF THE ISO 9000 FAMILY
ISO (22 May 2008)
ISO has published on its Web site a new electronic edition of its advice for managers, Selection and use of the ISO 9000 family of standards.
The ISO 9000 family, which currently consists of 17 international quality management standards and guidelines (plus a corrigendum), has earned a global reputation as a basis for establishing effective and efficient quality management systems.
The best known standard is ISO 9001, which specifies the basic requirements for a quality management system (QMS) that an organization must fulfil to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products (which include services) that enhance customer satisfaction and meet applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. The standard can be used for certification/registration and contractual purposes by organizations seeking recognition of their quality management system. It is estimated that a million ISO 9001 certificates have been issued in 170 countries.
However, ISO technical committee ISO/TC 176, Quality management and quality assurance, which is responsible for developing and maintaining the ISO 9000 family, and which has updated the e-brochure, states: "You will obtain the greatest value by using the entire family of standards in an integrated manner."
The e-brochure provides a general perspective on the ISO 9000 family of standards. It is an overview of the standards and demonstrates how, collectively, they form a basis for continual improvement and business excellence. The e-brochure includes:
The experts of ISO/TC 176 give this advice to users: "It is highly recommended that you use ISO 9000 to become familiar with the basic concepts and the language used before you adopt ISO 9001 to achieve a first level of performance. The practices described in ISO 9004 may then be implemented to make your quality management system more effective and efficient in achieving your business goals and objectives. The ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 standards have been written to enable you to relate them to other management systems (e.g. environmental), or to sector specific requirements (such as ISO/TS 16949 in the automotive industry) and to assist you in gaining recognition through national or regional award programmes."
ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden comments: "ISO not only develops standards for organizations operating in global markets; it also provides informative documents and advice to help these organizations get the best out of ISO standards."
Selection and use of the ISO 9000 family of standards, which can be accessed free of charge, is the latest edition of the highly successful brochure, first published by ISO in 1994 as Implementing ISO 9000. The brochure will be updated further once the next edition of ISO 9001 is published – which is expected before the end of 2008.
Last updated: 8 June 2008