WHO CERTIFIES ORGANIZATIONS TO ISO STANDARDS?
Who certifies organizations to ISO standards?
Organizations or companies that decide to implement a management system do so in order to obtain improvements and benefits that will be reflected inside and outside the organization, such as being more eligible over the competition, having products or services that meet high standards and that can be offered locally, nationally and internationally. All this is achieved by obtaining certification in ISO standards, if the certification is not carried out, the project is not completed. If we put it in a colloquial context, it would be like preparing a cake and not decorating it.
A part that must be reviewed and compared by the organization or company that decides to undertake the path of implementation and certification of its management system, whether quality, environmental, safety, anti-corruption or health, is the choice of the certification body, which certifies under ISO standards.
Certification Bodies are in charge of certifying organizations under ISO standards.
WHAT IS A CERTIFICATION BODY?
A certification body is an independent organization that is authorized or accredited by an Accreditation Body that verifies that the Body has the capacity, qualities, characteristics, experts and the necessary resources to carry out certification audits, recertification, transfers, surveillance and/or follow-ups.
The certification bodies are accredited by means of audits that evaluate the different aspects and issues that concern the certification bodies, which involve: the provision of services, material resources, installed capacity, human resources, risks, conflicts of interest, anti-corruption issues, planning, logistics, supplies and an endless number of requirements that must be met in order to carry out the certification audits.
It is recommended that you start looking for a certification body as soon as your management system is implemented, and not until the system is up and running, so that you can find out which body suits you best.
It is also important that when looking for this service you review the options they offer, the support they provide to clients, as well as the advantages, including economic ones, that can be offered for working with them from the beginning of the project.
The certification cycle consists of 3 years, which include: the certification, which is divided into Stage 1 and Stage 2, the first year; and the surveillance audits, which are biannual or annual for the following two years. At the end of this cycle, recertification is performed and the 3-year cycle begins again.
A relevant part will always be the cost, which takes into account aspects such as: size of the company, number of employees, number of sites, scope, complexity and travel expenses, and also depends on the ISO standard you wish to certify.
On the other hand, you must make sure that the Certification Body your organization chooses is an Accredited Body.
WHAT IS AN ACCREDITATION BODY?
It is an organization that is a member of the International Accreditation Forum (International Accreditation Forum) which textually states:
“Accreditation is the independent assessment of conformity assessment bodies against recognized standards to ensure their impartiality and competence. By applying national and international standards, government, purchasers and consumers can have confidence in the calibration and test results, inspection reports and certifications provided.
Accreditation Bodies are established in many countries with the primary objective of ensuring that conformity assessment bodies are subject to the supervision of an authorized body.”
WHICH ARE THE ACCREDITING ENTITIES?
There are different Accreditation Entities with international character, such as:
- EMA (Mexico)
- UKAS (United Kingdom)
- ANAB (USA)
- RvA (The Netherlands)
- ENAC (Spain)
- ONAC (Colombia)
- OUA (Uruguay)
- INTECO (Costa Rica)
- INN (Chile)
- OHA (Honduras)
In Mexico, the EMA (Entidad Mexicana de Acreditación) is in charge of auditing certifying bodies and granting them approval to carry out certification audits under ISO standards.
Management System Certification Bodies are accredited under the ISO 17021 standard which refers to Conformity Assessment – Requirements for Bodies carrying out audits and certification.
You can check the status of the Certification Body you want on the page of the corresponding entity, and thus, choose a valid body that complies with all national and international standards.
As already mentioned, having your management system implemented and certified, in addition to bringing you multiple benefits, is a decision that involves a commitment, changes, improvements and impacts on stakeholders.
Our certification body has mechanisms for our clients to verify the validity and validity of the certificates issued.
In QAlliance we are ready to support you, as an accredited body we have the right staff for your certification in ISO standards, contact us! And we will provide you with a fully personalized service.