In the UK we advise our clients to use a UKAS Accredited Certification Body.
UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) is recognised by the UK Government for providing accreditation services, and operates to strict codes of practice.
Find out more: Why Choose a UKAS Certification Body?
For these reasons, the UKAS ‘Crown and Tick’ logo carries a lot of weight on your ISO Certificate.
However, in this globally connected world many organisations are expanding the scope of their ISO Certification in to territories outside of the UK and it’s important to ensure that your certificates in other locations carry the same weight!
How Do I Audit a Management System for my International Business?
Here’s how you can ensure that all of your ISO Certificates carry a recognised accreditation mark.
Check the IAF – International Accreditation Forum
The IAFmanage the code of conduct and peer evaluation of accreditation bodies across the globe, and they have over 80 members and signatories, each of whom must:
“declare their common intention to join the IAF Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MLA) recognising the equivalence of other members’ accreditations to their own.”
This mutual recognition helps to facilitate cross-border management systems and ISO Certification.
When planning your ISO Certification in different countries, check for the local Accreditation Body first.
Choosing the Right Certification Body
Certification bodies are different from accreditation bodies.
The national accreditation body will ‘accredit’a number of certification bodies, governed by a set of rules. Find out more about the differences between Accreditation and Certification.
In the UK, Certification Bodies are accredited by UKAS. Some certification bodies are accreditedby multiple accreditation bodies covering different countries.
This can influence your choice of certification body, if you would rather use the same company for all your certified sites. There are many benefits to this approach, including centralised management of your certification programme.
However, not all certification bodies carry accreditation in all the countries you operate from, so you may have to look for a local supplier if accreditation is important to you.
Often the selection of your certification body is driven by customer demand, and you may need to think about the commercial impact of using a certification body that is not accredited in the countries you operate in.
You can have certificates with different certification bodies for each country.
Things to Consider When Choosing an ISO Certification Body.
Support with International ISO Certification
Assent Risk Management is experienced in supporting international management systems, and we can take away the confusion of coordinating international certification.
We can help with the tendering process and selection of one of more ISO certification bodies to meet your requirements.
Contact us for more information.
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