Accredia / Accredited services / Certifications

Certifications

The declaration of quality

Accredited certifications ensure the conformity of systems, processes, products, services and persons with the requirements of the international standards.

Certifications ensure the respect on the part of professionals, businesses and public organizations of the requirements of the standards regarding the conformity of products, services, processes, systems or persons.

Certifications are issued in many sectors by an accredited third party body in accordance with the standards ISO/IEC 17065, ISO/IEC 17021-1, ISO/IEC 17024, whose independence with respect to the certified object – product, service, organization or person – is verified and attested by an Accreditation Body.

Management system certification bodies may undertake conformity assessments in all the IAF sectors for which they are accredited in compliance with ISO/IEC 17021-1.

The typologies

Accredited certifications can be issued in compliance with the standards specified in technical documents according to the following typologies:

Certification of management systems

Ensuring that the management system implemented by the organization, public or private and in every sector, is in conformity with the applicable standards (e.g. the international standards ISO 9000 for quality, ISO 14001 for the environment and ISO 22000 for food safety).

The system may regard quality management, environmental issues, the sustainability of events, workplace health and safety, information and IT security, energy, safety of the supply chain, business continuity and food safety.

For a company the attainment of certification means making its management system effective and efficient – a tool for innovation in company organization. Holding a certificate for the management system gives a company standing, credibility, market trust and grants it an advantage over competitors as well as access to the regulated markets and to competitive tenders.

Certification of products and services

This regards goods, services or a production process. Conformity assessment regards only some of the characteristics of the object, in particular those contained in the standard or reference technical specification. With the assessment of the manufacturing process or the providing of a service, a positive judgment is given together with lasting trust in conformity.

Through possession of the certificate, the producer or supplier can demonstrate to the market the capacity to obtain and retain the conformity of the product or of the service. To this end, the conformity mark is placed in the appropriate position, either on the product or on other supports.

Certification of persons

This attests the possession and maintenance of the competences which give suitability to professionals to undertake their activities. The certificate of conformity is a formal recognition on the part of an independent third party, of adherence to the requirements for operating in a certain sector of activity.

The certification of professional people is a fundamental instrument in the quality creation process. It motivates professionals to make purchases, to continue to improve their competences.

Accredited certification bodies

Certifications are issued by certification bodies accredited according to the ISO/IEC 17021-1 for management systems, ISO/IEC 17065 for products and services, ISO/IEC 17024 for persons.

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