Accreditation
Accreditation means that the company works to a quality management system which conforms to an international standard according to a qualified accreditation body which also conducts regular audits to ensure continued compliance. The most well known of these standards is ISO 9001 for manufacturers, but there also exist ISO 17025 for Testing Laboratories and ISO 17020 for Inspection Agencies. For the latter two, independence, meaning incorruptibility, is a fundamental requirement.
The Accreditation Bodies which approve and audit the testing and inspection bodies are members of one of several international organizations which approve their members through mutual recognition or multi-lateral agreements (MRA or MLA’s). Most countries have at least one of these, some have more than one. Examples are UKAS in the UK, DAC in Dubai, and IAS in the USA. IAS is a subsidiary of the ICC and is the accreditation body we have chosen to operate under. We also have accreditations for our testing operations with UKAS and with ENAS.
