What is the difference between the terms "accreditation" and "certification"?
The definition of these terms is given in EN ISO/IEC 17000:2004:
Para 5.6 Accreditation
Third-party attestation related to a conformity assessment body conveying formal demonstration of its competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks.
Para 5.5 Certification
Third-party attestation related to products, processes, systems or persons.
Is 'xxx' a UKAS accredited certification body?
UKAS accredited Certification Bodies (CBs) can be recognised by the use of the royal crown in their accreditation mark; see also the list of UKAS accredited certification bodies on our website: Certification Bodies
Not UKAS accredited? Accreditation by another Accreditation Body
UKAS is the national signatory, along with other nationally recognised accreditation bodies world-wide, to multilateral agreements for the purposes of mutual recognition through the European Co-operation for Accreditation (EA), the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC). Those bodies that are signatory to these agreements are deemed to be equivalent having undergone stringent peer evaluations.
EA, IAF and ILAC have websites that give information about their organisations and details of the bodies that are signatory to their agreements: http://www.european-accreditation.org/ ; http://www.iaf.nu/ ; http://www.ilac.org/
If you have a certificate from a body which is not UKAS accredited but is accredited by another Accreditation Body, then you may wish to check to see if it is a signatory to one of the above multi-lateral agreements. If it is, then the certificate you have is deemed equivalent to one issued by an UKAS-accredited body.
How can I check whether or not a company has ISO 9000 certification?
Check the QA Register website that is maintained by the Stationery Office; however you will need to be a subscriber in order to access that part of the site. Follow this link to the QA Register website.
Can UKAS not make the QA Register free to everybody to consult for company information? Only the larger companies are able to afford a subscription for this facility and this does not help those with a "one-off" need to check on a specific company.
The responsibility for the compilation and publication of the QA Register was devolved to the Stationery Office by DTI in 1996. Only those companies that have certification from UKAS accredited CBs are eligible to be included in the Register. UKAS is unable to become involved in the commercial decisions taken by the Stationery Office with regard to the publication of the QA Register. The Stationery Office is based at St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich - tel: 0870 600 5522
How do I become ISO 9000 accredited?
ISO 9001:2000 is a certification standard. UKAS does not carry out assessments to this standard itself but assesses and accredits Certification Bodies for a defined scope of accreditation i.e. relating to specific areas of industry.
The following link will help you with background to the ISO 9001 standard and also how to select a Certification Body: http://www.iqa.org/information/iso9k2kworkbook.html. You can access the detailed scopes of accreditation for all the UKAS accredited Certification Bodies
One of my suppliers has an ISO 9000 certificate from a body that does not appear on your list of accredited Certification Bodies - is it legal?
UKAS is aware of the existence of non-UKAS accredited certification bodies offering ISO 9000 certification. However it is not mandatory for certification bodies to seek UKAS accreditation.
UKAS is unable to comment on the way in which the non-UKAS accredited bodies carry out their certification activities since UKAS has not assessed or accredited those bodies. UKAS accredited CBs are required to meet internationally agreed criteria such as ISO Guide 62 and are, therefore, not allowed to offer consultancy, assessment and certification as a "one-stop shop" package. They are also required to carry out a contract review with their potential clients to ensure that they are able to supply the certification that is required by them.
Only UKAS accredited CBs and their certificated organisations are allowed to make use of the relevant UKAS accreditation marks incorporating the tick and royal crown.
"ISO 9000 does not address the quality of products"
Some UKAS accredited certification bodies (not just BSI) do operate accredited product certification schemes for a variety of products. In response to any complaints that UKAS receives concerning the activities of a UKAS accredited CB's ISO 9000 certificated company, advice is given to make use of the formal complaints procedure that the certificated company is required to have in place.
I have seen on a company's literature a statement that they are "working towards ISO 9000 certification" but from the service I have experienced and questions I have asked there does not appear to be any evidence to support this claim. Who should I contact?
Bogus claims such as "working towards ISO 9000" certification should be reported to the local trading standards office for investigation and action where necessary
Is the certificate issued by a UKAS accredited laboratory for my product going to be recognised in other countries?
If the certificate is issued under the laboratory's scope of accreditation then the certificate should be recognised in those countries whose national accreditation bodies are signatory to the EA & ILAC multilateral agreement.
How much will it cost my company to become UKAS accredited?
The current application fee and daily rates can be found on this link to the Terms and Conditions.
All assessment fees are effort related ie dependent on the complexity of scope of accreditation being sought. These fees include not just the time the assessment team spend at your site but also office time. Travel and subsistence is charged at cost.
How long will it take my company to become UKAS accredited?
There is normally a lead-in time of approximately three months to arrange the first visit to new applicant customers, with the exception of applications for accreditation for Medical Laboratories (for ISO 15189), which currently have a lead-in time of approximately six months following receipt of application. The exact time frames between the initial visit and grant of accreditation are very much dependent on the client's compliance with requirements, complexity of scope of accreditation, clearance of improvement actions etc by the organisation being assessed. UKAS does, however, have target time frames that are set for the various stages of the UKAS parts of the process. With these in mind, and, depending on the organisation being assessed we would say that approximately 6 to 12 months from application to accreditation is a realistic timescale. For Medical Laboratories this may take a little longer given the current lead-in time for the first visit after application.
For further details with respect to the Route to Accreditation please click here.
Which companies are Notified Bodies for the various EU Directives?
Notification is granted by the relevant government department for that particular directive, eg BERR, DCLG, MHRA, HSE. Current lists of Notified Bodies may be obtained direct from the relevant government body, often via their website that will also give information on the individual directives. See "Contacts and Links" page.
How do I become accredited as an individual asbestos surveyor?
Currently there are no UKAS accredited Certification Bodies for personnel certification schemes relating to asbestos surveys. Individuals that are sole traders are not precluded from seeking accreditation as an organisation in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17020 (BS EN 45004). Route to accreditation gives an outline of the process in general terms.
Our organisation has a number of asbestos surveyors – what do we need to do to become UKAS accredited for the surveys we carry out?
An outline of the accreditation process is available in general terms.
However there is specific guidance contained in the UKAS Inspection Body guidance publication, RG 8, which is freely available.
We are setting up a new business to take samples of material that may contain asbestos and do the subsequent analysis back at our laboratory – what do we need to have in place to start the accreditation process?
The route to accreditation is given in general terms plus specific guidance for such activities is contained within the UKAS Laboratory guidance publication, LAB 30, which is freely available.
We need to get some of our surveyors trained to carry out asbestos surveys – when is the next UKAS course?
UKAS does not offer such training. Organisations such as The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) do offer such training courses. They can be contacted on tel: 01332 298087
We manufacture food products and supply some of the major UK supermarket chains. We have been told that we need to be BRC accredited – how do we do this?
Your organisation does not require accreditation but needs to be certificated by a Certification Body that is UKAS accredited for the BRC food standard. You can search the Certification Bodies schedules for BRC Global Food Standard .
However you should check their schedules of accreditation to ensure that their accreditation covers the specific food types that your company produces.
We are a food packaging manufacturer and need to be accredited for the BRC/IOP food packaging scheme.
Your company does not need to be UKAS accredited itself but needs to contact a Certification Body that is accredited for this activity.
We are a vehicle recovery organisation and have been told that we need to be accredited to PAS 43 now – how do we go about this?
UKAS has accredited a number of Certification Bodies for PAS 43 in conjunction with ISO 9000 and an engineering Inspection Body for accredited inspections in respect of PAS 43.
You will need to contact them direct to discuss how your company can be certificated or inspected for PAS 43. To find the details of these bodies, please use the Advanced Search facility on the site and ensure that the search is against all UKAS documents (Word, PDF, Excel).
We have been told by an HSE Inspector that we need to have our pressure system tested – who can do this for us?
There are a number of UKAS accredited Engineering Inspection Bodies that are accredited for in-service inspection of pressure systems.
Our company inspects ventilation systems in various premises – how do we become accredited for this?
The route to accreditation gives the process in general terms. However the UKAS Inspection Body guidance document, RG 4, will help you with respect to particular clauses of ISO/IEC 17020 for this activity.
When is the next training course for operatives involved with lifting equipment?
Please note that UKAS does not offer training for lifting equipment or any other activities carried out by the UKAS accredited Inspection Bodies, laboratories or certification bodies.
It is possible that details of organisations that can provide training for lifting equipment can be obtained by the HSE or the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association.
The new Building Regulations Approved Document E (2003) state that organisations making the sound insulation measurements in the field should preferably be UKAS accredited - how does my organisation go about this?
The route to accreditation gives you the general outline of the process. You will need to complete the testing laboratory insert (AC4) in the Application Form even though your organisation is making measurements out in the field.
I need to get some sound insulation tests done for the new Building Regulations Approved Document E (2003) - which organisations are accredited for these measurements?
Details of organisations accredited for these tests can be found on the UKAS Testing Laboratory website by searching on the term "building acoustics".
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