Choosing a Certification Assessment Body
- Guides
The first step towards achieving certification is to choose a Certification Assessment Body (CAB). The number one thing to look out for is if your CAB is accredited or not.
Accredited CABs are regularly audited themselves, this provides their clients with the assurance that they have the proven competency to measure them against, and bring them in line with, the ISO standards.
Unaccredited certification vs accredited certification
Unaccredited certification represents the conformity to a management system for a product, process or service specified by the ISO standard requirements.
Accredited certification, on the other hand, does all the above but has recognition from an independent authoritative body. It’s this recognition that makes all the difference; it proves that the CAB has the competence to certify to ISO’s standards.
The story switching to British Assessment Bureau from an unaccredited CAB
The British Assessment Bureau is accredited by UKAS
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the UK’s National Accreditation Body. Its role is to assess organisations that are providing testing, inspection, calibration and certification services (CABs) against internationally recognised standards.
Becoming a UKAS accredited CAB involves regular assessments against a specific standard, called ISO 17021, which checks for competence, consistency and impartiality. The British Assessment Bureau is accredited by UKAS, and because UKAS is backed by Government, a certificate from the British Assessment Bureau will be recognised across the public and private sectors, worldwide.