Choose an accredited certification body
Who is UKAS?
UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) is the single body appointed by the British government to assess the capability and competence of organisations that provide ISO certification services.
Why use UKAS accredited certification bodies?
UKAS accredited certification bodies are required meet explicit standards for competence, impartiality, and performance. This means that when you choose a UKAS accredited certification body, you can have confidence that they have been carefully assessed and meet the highest standards in the industry. UKAS accreditation is recognised worldwide and provides assurance to customers that your business is operating in compliance with best practice standards.
ISO Certification outside of the UK
Most major economies have a national accreditation body (equivalent to UKAS) which will be a registered member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The IAF is a worldwide association of accreditation bodies whose primary function is to develop a single worldwide program of conformity assessment which reduces risk for businesses and their customers by assuring them that accredited certificates and validation and verification statements may be relied upon.
- In the UK, certification organisations such as BSI, ISOQAR & NQA etc are all accredited by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service).
- In the USA certification organisations are more likely to be accredited by ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board).
- DakkS is the accreditation body for certification organisations in Germany.
An ISO Certification by any assessment organisation which is accredited by an IAF member is generally considered to be highly regarded worldwide.
Link to IAF members Accreditation Body Members: Accreditation Bodies – IAF
How to check for UKAS accredited certification in your supply chain?
To establish if an organisation has UKAS accredited certification, you can utilise the UKAS Cert Check service by following the link below. All you need is the name of the organisation or the certificate number to check the certification.
UKAS CertCheck – Verify Accredited Management System Certificates
Remember, certificates expire every three years and certified organisation is subject to at least annual surveillance visits by the awarding certification body. Therefore, make sure you remember to check annually for continued compliance.
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If you would like to find out more about ISO Certification for your business then we would love to hear from you. Please call us on 0118 207 8924 or submit an enquiry via our Contact Form.