IAF

INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION FORUM, INC.

IAF - Certified once, accepted everywhere

Accreditation reduces risk for business and its customers by assuring them that accredited bodies are competent to carry out the work they undertake. Accreditation bodies which are members of IAF are required to operate at the highest standard and require the bodies they accredit to comply with appropriate international standards. Certificates issued by bodies accredited by members of the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) are relied upon all over the world because the MLA assures customers that the certificate is credible.

IAF NEWS

1. Expectations of Accreditation & Accredited Certification This position paper has been prepared by the IAF User Advisory Committee. ...more 2. IAF Newsletter Acts as a link between members of the accreditation community, as well as providing the means of communicating with stakeholders, and other partners. ...more 3. World Accreditation Day 2010 June 9th 2010 will mark World Accreditation Day, a global initiative jointly established by the IAF and ILAC to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation-related activities. ...more 4. IAF-ISO Joint Communiques - Expected Outcomes for Accredited Certification IAF and ISO have released the following two joint Communiqués covering concise statements of outcomes that are to be expected as a result of accredited certification to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. The intent is to promote a common focus throughout the entire ...more 5. ISO/CASCO eNewsletter For the ISO/CASCO eNewsletter please click on the link on the entry page. ...more 6. Migration to ISO 9001:2008 ...more 7. Certification Bodies given 2 years for transition to ISO/IEC 17021:2006 Certification bodies have been given a deadline of 15 September 2008 for implementing ISO/IEC 17021:2006, the new standard designed to increase confidence in management system certification. ...more 8. Help for Small Businesses to Implement ISO Management System Standards ...more 9. Problems with Cut Price Certification Quick thinking is best defence against fraud ...more 10. Extract from the ENDS Report #364 ...more

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IAF News Cut price certification The following article appeared on the icWales website (see web link below) and is repeated here for the information of IAF members and associated organisations. http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0300business/0100news/tm_objectid=15578259&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=quick-thinking-is-best-defence-against-fraud-name_page.html  Quick-thinking is best defence against fraud - June 1 2005 Russell Lawson, Western Mail HUNDREDS of examples of FSB members being targeted by fraudsters have been brought to our attention over the past few years. Every month, our offices are inundated with reports of new scams _ some plain silly, some more sophisticated _ but all of them intending to con SMEs out of money. Yet while there appear to be plenty of initiatives around to warn consumers of the dangers of doorstep callers and dodgy workmen, businesses are more likely to have to fend for themselves when it comes to spotting scams. There is no doubt the Government has been making efforts to protect consumers. In February, the Office of Fair Trading launched Scams Awareness Month, stating that helping to spot tomorrow's scams "is the key to stopping fraudsters earning millions". Joining forces with the Department of Trade and Industry, trading standards departments, Citizens' Advice, police, charities and neighbourhood watch schemes, the OFT distributed half-a-million leaflets and posters containing advice on how to recognise and avoid scams. However, the FSB believes more should be done to protect SMEs falling prey to fraudsters. While the OFT now has the power to issue Stop Now Orders to those targeting individuals, a clause in the 2002 Enterprise Act excludes businesses and the self-employed. The Federation is now calling for the OFT definition of consumers to be extended to include businesses and self-employed workers. The aim behind Scams Awareness Month was to arm consumers with the knowledge and skills necessary to recognise and report scams - but what about small firms? Fraudsters are increasingly aware that small business owners must do two full-time jobs: run their firm and also comply with ever-increasing regulations and redtape. More and more scams are targeted at small businesses but the OFT is unable to use Stop Now Orders to protect them from rogue traders. We are calling on the Government to extend its definition of consumer to include small firms and for the OFT to use all the powers at its disposal to protect small businesses. For example, concerns are growing about malpractice in ISO 9001 certification, with some firms offering "unaccredited" versions of the quality management qualification. Various accreditation firms are offering IS09001:2000 certification at a discounted price; however, some organisations will not accept certification that is not approved by the Government's United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). While UKAS believes the "vast majority" of the UK accreditation industry "does not lack integrity", it admits there is enough smoke to suggest fire and that some organisations "mix certification with the provision of consultancy in such a way as to undermine the independence of the consultancy service". The problem is that some public bodies may not accept non-UKAS accredited certification, and many small businesses are not aware of this. As from this month, the DTI's Companies Investigation Branch (CIB) will gain new powers, strengthening its ability to protect companies from fraud. These will enable investigators to enter business premises and stay there as long as necessary, while there will also be increased protection for anyone reporting a suspected scam. Some 371 companies were wound up in the public interest in the last year, following statutory inquiries by the DTI's Companies Investigation Branch. In around 10% of these cases, criminal proceedings were brought against the company concerned, with a number of directors being disqualified as a result. While the CIB will clearly provide a valuable service to companies concerned they are being exposed to fraud, the DTI's Inspector of Companies says the service can only be effective if companies and their directors "play their part by supporting its efforts with their vigilance and caution". They say that it is vital that company officers make a full and proper inquiry into those purchasing majority shareholdings, making loans to their companies, or if they are new suppliers. They add that it is also vital to be cautious and sceptical about information on web sites or from cold-calling telesales staff.  Your imagination - even suspicion - and that of your colleagues, coupled with quick thinking, can often be more effective against the scamster than any investigation conducted after the event.  Russell Lawson is spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses Wales
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Joint IAF-ISO Communiqué
Migration to ISO 17021:2006 and
end of accreditation to ISO/IEC Guide 62:1996 and ISO/IEC
Guide 66:1999
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF), in consultation with the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO), have set the date for implementation of ISO/IEC
17021 as 15 September 2008.
ISO/IEC 17021 contains principles and requirements for competence and impartiality of the
audit and certification of management systems of all types, including quality management
systems (QMS) and environmental management systems (EMS) and for the bodies providing
these activities.
ISO/IEC 17021:2006 supersedes and replaces ISO/IEC Guide 62:1996 and ISO/IEC Guide
66:1996. It is also written to apply to management systems of all types whereas ISO/IEC
Guide 62 was for QMS Certification Bodies (CBs) only, and ISO/IEC Guide 66 was for EMS
CBs only. Examples of new types of management systems for which ISO/IEC 17021 will
also apply include ISO/IEC 27001 for information security management systems and ISO
22000 for food safety systems. ISO/IEC 17021 also incorporates most relevant and
applicable IAF guidance. ISO/IEC 17021 also provides the option for a CB to have a quality
management system based on ISO 9001:2000 and to have conformance verified by
accreditation bodies.
In setting this transition period of 2 years from the publication date of ISO/IEC 17021, IAF
and ISO have taken into account the following matters:
• Transition to ISO/IEC 17021 may require translations, changes to procedures, contracts,
committees and other arrangements which will take time; and
• The identification by Certification Bodies of differences and the preparation of a transition
plan to determine both the changes to their own QMS and the time frame required to
execute them.
The IAF Transition Plan for ISO/IEC 17021 Accreditation from ISO/IEC Guide 62 and
ISO/OIEC Guide 66, is currently being circulated for the approval of IAF Members

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USEFUL LINKS

Related Bodies

• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
• European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA)
• Interamerican Accreditation Cooperation, (IAAC)
• International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)
• Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC)
• Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC)
• Pan American Standards Commission (COPANT)

International Organisations

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• ISODOC Livelink Intranet
• ISO/TC176 SC2 Quality Systems
• ISO/TC207 Environmental Management Systems
• CEN - European Committee for Standardization
• International Trade Centre (ITC)

Other links of interest

• ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group
• QuEST Forum
• American Society for Quality (ASQ)