Accreditation means the formal recognition of the technical and organizational competence of an authority to execute a specific service as described in the scope of accreditation. Competence is the key to transparency, confidence and comparability.
What is Accreditation?
| Competence |
||
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | Technical infrastructure | Organisational structure |
| Technical know-how; | Decisive criteria; |
Independence; |
| Practical experience in the relevant technical field; | Premises and equipment; | Impartiality; |
| Continuous education | Procedures |
Quality Management |
Accreditation is a confidence-building measure, which allows authorities, economy and society to judge, if testing, inspection or certification bodies (conformity assessment bodies) fulfill specific tasks with the demanded high reliability.
With the creation of the European Single Market, this measure to establish confidence has gained growing importance. The strategy developed within the framework of Global Approach of the EC for the testing and conformity assessment of products and services and aiming the elimination of technical barriers to trade for example, can only increase its efficiency, if confidence in conformity assessment bodies exists. Reliable and acknowledged conformity assessment bodies are also on a global level an important precondition for the elemination of technical trade barrriers.
Accreditation as a confidence-building measure also fulfills an important task for the internal Swiss market, in supporting an efficient and competent conformity assessment infrastructure, and in caring for its transparency.
Last modification 16.03.2016
