Overview Of An Iso/iec 17020 Accreditation For Inspection Body Accreditation

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Have you been aware that the inspection bodies that evaluate the quality and dependability of a company's products and services require regulatory certification to carry out the inspection? This falls under the ISO/IEC 17020:2012 standard, which ensures inspection bodies' competence as well as the impartiality and consistency of their inspection activities. ISO/IEC 17020 is a conformity assessment standard that includes requirements for various types of inspection, survey, and risk assessment bodies. The standard categorizes accreditation/examination bodies into three types based on their services: Type A, Type B, and Type C. The global standard covers a range of activities of inspection bodies which include:

• The examination of materials, products, installations, plants, processes, work measures, or services.
• Purpose of the examined services and products’ conformity against respective requirements.
• The subsequent reporting to clients and authorities of the results of the activities performed in the preceding two steps.

What are the accreditation requirements of ISO/IEC 17020?

ISO ...
... 17020 accreditation includes the same level of requirements as the ISO/IEC 17000 series, including ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC 17065, and, as previously stated, ISO 9001. Moreover, it focuses more on accreditation bodies' ability to manage impartiality, conflicts of interest, technical competence, and inspection services and processes. Accreditation prepares certification bodies to make professional judgments during inspections, particularly when assessing conformity with guidelines. The requirements that inspection agencies must meet are separated into five major categories that cover:

• General requirements
o Impartiality and independence
o Confidentiality
• Structural requirements
o Administrative needs
o Organization and management
• Resource requirements
o Personnel
o Facilities and equipment
o Subcontracting
• Process requirements
o Inspection methods and procedures
o Handling inspection items and samples
o Inspection records
o Inspection reports and inspection certificates
o Complaints and appeals
o Complaints and appeals processes
• Management system requirements
o Management system documentation
o Control of documents
o Control of records
o Management review and internal audits
o Corrective and preventive actions

What is the Process of ISO 17020 Accreditation Certification?

The accreditation procedure follows the most recent ISO/IEC directives and is recognized by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation certification is a multi-stage inspection process that includes monitoring, auditing, and approval of the QMS. The following are the general steps to certification:

• A detailed survey and gap analysis should conduct for every established inspection parameter by inspecting bodies.
• The ISO/IEC 17020 auditor training should be taken to all levels of employees before the application of the standard.
• Prepare ISO/IEC 17020 documents for the implemented system, such as quality manuals as per the ISO 17020, inspection parameters, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Corrective actions should measure.
• An internal audit should be organized with help of an experienced ISO Consultant.
• An accreditation body will conduct an external audit.
• Conformities, along with non-conformities, will be evaluated and resolved, respectively.
• An accreditation decision is made by certifying body, and a certificate will be issued.

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