About Accreditation

• Accreditation Schemes
  • Laboratory Accreditation
  • Accreditation of Inspection Bodies
  • Accreditation of Certification Bodies
  • Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Regulations
  • European Eco-Management & Audit Scheme (EMAS)
  • Good Laboratory Practice
• Why Is Accreditation So Important?
• The Benefits Of Accreditation
• Who Can Be Accredited?
• The Accreditation Process
• The Assessment Team
• Accreditation Symbol
• INAB Policy on Handling Complaints
• Glossary of Terms
• INAB Brochure

Accreditation Schemes

Accreditation is the formal recognition of a body’s competence to conduct a specific activity such as testing, inspection or certification. This recognition is based on compliance with international and European standards. Compliance with these standards requires organisations to demonstrate competence, impartiality and integrity. It is often difficult for customers to distinguish between the quality of products or services available in the marketplace.

Certificates of conformance or test reports are normally used to make that distinction.  These certificates or reports are only useful or reliable if the organisation or individual conducting the assessment or test is competent and qualified. The accreditation of the organisation, for a defined scope, is the mechanism that provides the customer with this confidence.

The international nature of the standards means that a company or product in Ireland can be assessed or tested to the same standards as a company in Switzerland or Australia, providing confidence in the comparability of certificates and reports across national borders.

Index of ISO/IEC Standards Associated with INAB Accreditation:

ISO/IEC Standard	Description	Link to Information Sheet (PDF)
ISO 17024	Certification Persons - General requirements for bodies operating certification schemes for persons	IS4 Certification Persons Information Sheet (PDF, 2 Pages, 45KB)
ISO Guide 65/(EN 45011)	Certification Product - General guidelines for bodies operating product certification systems	IS5 Certification Products Information Sheet (PDF, 2 Pages, 39KB)
ISO 17020	Inspection - General Criteria for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection	IS6 Inspection Bodies Information Sheet (PDF, 2 Pages, 41KB)
ISO 17021	Management Systems - Conformity Assessment - Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems	IS9 Management Systems Certification Information Sheet (PDF, 3 Pages, 45KB)
ISO 15189	Medical - Medical Laboratories - Particular requirements for quality and competence	IS1 Medical Laboratory Information Sheet (PDF, 2 Pages, 39KB)
ISO 17025	Testing and Calibration - General Requirements for the competence of Testing and calibration laboratories	IS7 Laboratory Accreditation Information Sheet (PDF, 2 Pages, 40KB)