Accreditation denotes both a status and process. As a status it denotes
conformity to a specific standard as set forth by an accrediting agency and as
a process it shows a commitment to continuous improvement. Accreditation means that
the certification body meets the requirements of a national or an international
standard as assessed by an accrediting agency.
Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against
official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies
(such as UKAS or IAS); hence they are sometimes known as "accredited
certification bodies". The accreditation process ensures that their
certification practices are acceptable, typically meaning that they are
competent to test and certify third parties, behave ethically and employ
suitable quality assurance.
Certification
of products, personnel, or management systems like ISO 9001 or ISO 14001
demonstrates conformity to the requirements of a standard. Accreditation is the
procedure by which an authoritative body gives formal recognition that a body
or person is competent to carry out specific tasks. Both accreditation and
certification use criteria and procedures to implement such activities.
Accreditation processes are used in a wide variety of fields:
·
Accredited
International Credentials
·
Accredited in Public Relations
·
Construction
·
Higher education accreditation
·
ACGME (USA)
·
List of
recognized higher education accreditation organizations
·
List of
unrecognized higher education accreditation organizations
·
List of
unaccredited institutions of higher learning
·
Pre-tertiary education accreditation
·
Food safety
·
Global Food Safety Initiative
·
Healthcare
·
Accreditation Commission for Health
Care
·
Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission
·
International healthcare
accreditation
·
Commission on
Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities
·
Joint
Commission (USA)
·
United Kingdom Accreditation Forum
·
Personal trainer accreditation
·
Translating and interpreting
·
National
Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (Australia)
· US EPA TSCA VI §770 accreditation
Many accreditation bodies, such as IAS, operate according to processes
developed by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) as specified in ISO/IEC 17011. Accredited
entities in specific sectors must provide evidence to the accreditation body
that they conform to other standards in the same series:
·
ISO/IEC 17020:
"General criteria for the operation of various types of bodies performing
inspection" (2012)
·
ISO/IEC 17021:
"Conformity assessment. Requirements for bodies providing audit and
certification of management systems" (2011)
·
ISO/IEC 17024: "Conformity Assessment.
General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons" (2012)
- ISO/IEC 17025: "General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories" (2005)
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