ISO accreditation vs ISO certification
ISO accreditation and certification are two distinct processes that are often confused. Understanding the distinction between them is important for organizations seeking to enhance their quality management systems. So, what is the significance of accreditation and iso certification? Essentially the difference is that accreditation applies to third party certifying bodies whilst certification is an attestation by a third-party CB that the management system of an organization meet the requirements of an ISO management system standards.
What is an ISO Certification
Every organization has a management system of some sort as it could not function otherwise. An organization can choose to adopt a recognized standard for management but not seek certification. Whilst this would probably improve the management of the organization, its usefulness stops there as the organization would not be able to claim that it is certified and could not publicize the fact to existing and potential stakeholders.
Although organizations often claim they are ISO certified this is not strictly accurate as they are only certified as meeting ISO standard requirements. ISO itself does not perform certification or issue certificates, and it does not permit anyone to use the ISO logo in connection with certification.
So, what is an ISO certified company? Certification is performed by external certification bodies. ISO certification is an attestation from a third party that a company runs and complies to one of the international standards developed and published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
ISO standards exist for a vast range of management systems covering generic aspects common to all businesses such as Quality management (ISO 9001), Occupational health and safety (ISO 45001), Environmental management (ISO 14001) Energy management (ISO 50001) and Information security management (ISO/IEC 27001), or industry and sector specific aspects such as ISO 22000 for food safety management. Certification to an ISO standard allows organizations to demonstrate to customers and stakeholders up and down the supply chain that they fulfil specified requirements in the standard. Since many organizations wish to protect their reputation, they may only work with other organizations that are certified. In essence, ISO certification may be a ‘ticket for trade’.
Certification is achieved by successfully completing an initial audit of the management system by the certifying body. To maintain certification, regular audits will need to be conducted by the certifying body to ensure the management system is operating as required. Discover more about DNV Internal Auditor Training Course.
What is an ISO Accreditation?
ISO accreditation is a formal recognition by an authorized body that a certification body operates according to international ISO accreditation standards. It is essentially a ‘certification of the certification body,’ which ensures that the certifying body itself maintains a high standard of quality in its auditing and certification process. For management system standards, a CBs can opt to deliver accredited or non-accredited certification. Just as organizations seeking ISO certification need to approach a certifying body, those certifying bodies seeking accreditation need to approach an accreditation body. ISO/IEC 17021-1 is one key accreditation standard that specifies requirements applicable to certification bodies who deliver management system certification.
For ISO management systems, accreditation is normally done by recognized national accreditation bodies.
Many of the national accreditation bodies will be members of The International Accreditation Forum (IAF). This Forum also defines requirements which accredited CBs need to follow. Members of IAF must recognize the equivalence of other members and the certifying bodies that they have accredited. This also means that certifying bodies can operate internationally and are not limited to operating in just one country. Accreditation can also be for non-ISO standards and is then often governed by the individual scheme owners.
Accreditation ensures the competence level of auditors, integrity, quality and that the rules of the certification process are followed. As with the certification process, accreditation audits are normally carried out annually and a certifying body can lose the accreditation if it does not able to continually meet the requirements.
What's the difference between ISO Accreditation and ISO Certification?
The key difference lies in the scope and the entity being evaluated. ISO certification applies to organizations seeking to certify their management systems to ISO standards. In contrast, ISO accreditation is for the bodies that issue the ISO certifications, ensuring their competence and integrity in conducting the certification process.
While ISO certification is about the system within an organization, ISO accreditation is about the process of certification itself. Accreditation helps ensure that the certification process is impartial, consistent, and reliable, which in turn adds credibility to the ISO certification granted to an organization.
Accredited certifying bodies are relatively few in number compared to organizations seeking certification. Not all certifying bodies will be accredited to certify the whole range of ISO management systems or the standards of other bodies. Therefore, it is an important consideration for any organization seeking certification to select a certifying body that is accredited for the existing and planned future standards it wishes to be certified to.
A certifying body known for quality and integrity, such as DNV, can be important when wanting to build trust internally and towards stakeholders, meeting their requirements and complying with any applicable regulations. Also, the certifying body should be able to provide the training and valuable insight from audits that will aid the organization on its improvement journey.
