Accredited Registrar
Encyclopedia
An accredited registrar, also called an Accredited Certification Body (CB), is an organization accredited by a recognized accrediting body for its competence to audit and issue certification
confirming that an organization meets the requirements of a standard (e.g. ISO 9001 or ISO 14001). Accreditation means that certification and inspection bodies have been assessed against recognised standards to demonstrate their competence, impartiality and capability.
In the UK, The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the formally appointed National Accreditation Body, following the adoption the European regulation.
The new Regulation (EC Regulation 765/2008), which came into force on 1 January 2010, requires each member state to appoint a single national accreditation body. UKAS has therefore been appointed by statutory instrument providing, for the first time, a legal basis for its role.
The accreditation Regulations 2009 (Statutory Instrument No 3155/2009) making the appointment were signed on 30 November 2009 by Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation, and announced in a Written Statement to Parliament. In the statement, Lord Drayson said: “The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has a long standing and effective relationship with UKAS that both parties value highly. We will continue to work together not only to ensure that the requirements of the EC Regulation are fulfilled but to improve the quality and breadth of accreditation in the UK.”
Outside of Europe, there is not a set regulation. For example, in the USA there are multiple Accreditation Bodies, whereas within Australasia there is the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand
. For those countries without a designated National Accreditation Body, the International Accreditation Forum
lists member Accreditation Bodies that only accredit competant bodies, providing buyer confidence.
Certification
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit...
confirming that an organization meets the requirements of a standard (e.g. ISO 9001 or ISO 14001). Accreditation means that certification and inspection bodies have been assessed against recognised standards to demonstrate their competence, impartiality and capability.
Legal Status of Accreditation
Although not a legal requirement, accreditation is often stipulated and supported by local Governments. In order to ensure equally high standards of certification across Europe, the European Commission for Enterprise and Industry set out a European-wide policy for accreditation. This ensures consistency in the accreditation market and is designed to protect the consumer. Accordingly, it is mandatory for every European member-state to have a single national Accreditation Body (NAB).In the UK, The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the formally appointed National Accreditation Body, following the adoption the European regulation.
The new Regulation (EC Regulation 765/2008), which came into force on 1 January 2010, requires each member state to appoint a single national accreditation body. UKAS has therefore been appointed by statutory instrument providing, for the first time, a legal basis for its role.
The accreditation Regulations 2009 (Statutory Instrument No 3155/2009) making the appointment were signed on 30 November 2009 by Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation, and announced in a Written Statement to Parliament. In the statement, Lord Drayson said: “The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has a long standing and effective relationship with UKAS that both parties value highly. We will continue to work together not only to ensure that the requirements of the EC Regulation are fulfilled but to improve the quality and breadth of accreditation in the UK.”
Outside of Europe, there is not a set regulation. For example, in the USA there are multiple Accreditation Bodies, whereas within Australasia there is the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand
Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand
Standards and conformance underpin almost every aspect of our daily lives, from the accuracy of our watches to ensuring the quality of our drinking water and upholding safety in our workplaces...
. For those countries without a designated National Accreditation Body, the International Accreditation Forum
International Accreditation Forum
The International Accreditation Forum, Inc. is the world association of Conformity Assessment Accreditation bodies and other bodies interested in conformity assessment in the fields of management systems, products, services, personnel and other similar programs of conformity assessment...
lists member Accreditation Bodies that only accredit competant bodies, providing buyer confidence.
See also
- International Accreditation ForumInternational Accreditation ForumThe International Accreditation Forum, Inc. is the world association of Conformity Assessment Accreditation bodies and other bodies interested in conformity assessment in the fields of management systems, products, services, personnel and other similar programs of conformity assessment...
- Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New ZealandJoint Accreditation System of Australia and New ZealandStandards and conformance underpin almost every aspect of our daily lives, from the accuracy of our watches to ensuring the quality of our drinking water and upholding safety in our workplaces...
- UKAS
- Irish National Accreditation Board
- *IAFBC
External links
- Perry Johnson Registrars, Inc.
- The British Assessment Bureau
- LRQA
- SGS
- Verification International
- ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (United States) ANSI-ASQ
- dakks.de / German Accreditation Council (Germany) Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS)
- URS Certification (India)
- QSCERT India
- For ISO in India GQC
- URS Inspection Pakistan & ME
- Independent Certification Board
- NIOSH Certification (Malaysia)
- ACS REGISTRARS (INDIA)
- American Global Standards
- QMS REGISTRARS (INDIA)
- INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT SERVICES (INDIA)