ISO 17020 CERTIFICATION
The quality and reliability of products/ services of any company is assessed by certain inspection bodies. These bodies require a regulatory certification to ensure their competence, impartiality and consistency of their activities during inspection. So, the ISO 17020 standard was introduced.
As defined by ISO 17020, certification encompasses all activities carried out by an inspection body, including the examination of processes, procedures, and services to determine their conformity, as well as the reporting of results for the Operation to promote confidence in the bodies conducting the check. Conformity and results reporting are provided by inspection bodies to their private clients, parent organizations, or authorities.
The ISO 17020 conformity assessment requirements for the functioning of various types of bodies were created to increase confidence in and uniformity of their inspection activities. Supervisory authorities compel these organizations to comply with their services as well as harmonized standards that are unquestionably accepted by clients.
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ISO/IEC 17020 conformity assessment requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection have been developed in order to build confidence in the inspection bodies. Accreditation to inspection bodies is a procedure by which an authoritative body gives formal recognition of technical competence for specific inspection, based on third-party assessment based on ISO/IEC 17020:2012 standard
This international standard ISO/IEC 17020:2012 is drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2. ISO 17020 accreditation is managed by IAF MRA (International Accreditation Forum Multilateral Recognition Arrangement). IAF is engaged in development and updating of guidelines connected with accreditation activities. Such international arrangements facilitate acceptance of inspection results between countries to which MRA partners represent. On accreditation as per ISO 17020 standard of inspection bodies by such recognized body, the inspection report of inspection bodies gets global acceptance due to such mutual recognition.
The standard was initially published in year 1998 and then it was revised in 2012. At present the 2012 version is in the implementation. The ISO17020:2012 standard has categorized inspection bodies in three major categories as under:
Type – A Inspection body, means an independent inspection body, which is only engaged in inspection activities (independent of the parties involved),
Type – B Inspection body, means its inspection services shall only be supplied to the organization of which the inspection body forms a part, and
Type – C Inspection body, means the inspection body shall provide safeguards within the organization to ensure adequate segregation of responsibilities and accountabilities between inspection and other activities.