Did you know that the inspection bodies that evaluate the quality and dependability of products and services provided by businesses must themselves hold a regulatory certification to do so?
This falls under the umbrella of the ISO/IEC 17020:2012 standard, which guarantees the expertise of inspection organizations and the independence and uniformity of their inspection procedures.
The standards for inspection, survey, and risk assessment bodies are outlined in ISO/IEC 17020–a conformity assessment standard. The standard categorizes accreditation/examination bodies as Category A, Type B, and Type C depending on the services they evaluate.
There are several different types of inspections that are included in the international standard, and they are as follows:
Testing is done on anything from raw ingredients to finished goods, machinery, and services.
Evaluation of the tested products and services’ ability to meet specified criteria.
Conformity assessment to ISO/IEC 17020 provides evidence that inspection organizations can conduct accurate, trustworthy inspections. Inspection organizations that can prove they are ISO/IEC 17020-accredited have a significant leg up on the competitors.
ISO/IEC 17020 has an established reputation for quality because it is recognized by the ILAC and the IAF. It’s ideal for organizations that want to inspect on behalf of foreign customers.
This not only ensures they maintain the highest standards in their operations but also verifies the efficacy of their quality management systems from a technological standpoint.
Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17020 also improves an organization’s standing in the industry as a whole and fosters confidence in the inspection body on the part of its customers.
Customers have faith in their inspectors because they know they will utilize proper procedures, tools, and protections to maintain objectivity and privacy.
This in turn ensures that the results provided by the ISO/IEC 1702-accredited inspection body are fair and accurate. Each side benefits from the deal.
Inspection organizations can considerably lessen the risk of re-inspections and re-work by complying to the ISO/IEC 17020 standard.
By always using the most up-to-date methods of inspection, they can ensure that quality control is maintained and that their clients never have to wait for a second round of inspections that are essentially a repetition of the first (or more).
Their standing in the market will rise as a result of their commitment to quality.
It’s important to remember that the benefits to your reputation are worth the effort it takes to maintain compliance. The assurance of ISO/IEC 17020 certification for conformity is invaluable.
Take the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) ‘Managing health and safety in construction’ guidelines as an example:
Customers that hire contractors have an obligation to take reasonable precautions to verify that the designer or contractor has sufficient experience and a good record in managing the risks associated in projects.
Facilities management companies can hire contractors with confidence when they know the contractors have worked with an inspection organization that has been granted ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation. That is to say, they have the competence to manage projects in a secure manner.
Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17020, in the end, boosts confidence. All inspection actions rest on this foundation of trust. It is expected that inspectors employed by organizations certified to ISO/IEC 17020 will perform their duties in accordance with those requirements. As a result, consumers will put their faith in the inspectors’ abilities as well as the consistency and accuracy of their findings.
Lesson learned: while selecting an ISO/IEC 17020 accredited inspection body, make sure it has credentials overseen by a government-backed, UKAS-governed accrediting body.
Any business that values Quality Management and wants to demonstrate to its clients and the government that its testing procedures are reliable and yield reliable findings is a good candidate for this.
A reliable ISO 17020 consulting service will be able to explain the reasoning behind the standard and help you design a foolproof laboratory infrastructure.
End users, government, statutory, and regulatory organizations can all rest easier knowing that their data is being collected and reported on by a complete 17020 system
One can learn the methods for installing the system from an ISO 17020 consulting company. Because of this, every establishment interested in a complete system must first become certified.
The facility may benefit from the auditing services offered by a consulting firm to ensure proper and complete implementation. Organizations that want to provide truly exceptional customer service and produce reliable results should pursue ISO 17020 Certification.
ISO 17020 experts conduct an internal quality audit to assist identify implementation flaws and provide next steps for improvement. Accreditation to ISO 17020 facilitates this simplification.
A laboratory can keep its ISO 17020 Certification with the help of an annual monitoring audit.
Consulting companies offer reports that make a clear distinction between test results that can be replicated and those that can be reproduced. A valid ISO 17020 certification must be renewed every three years.
