What is Accreditation

Understanding Accreditation

Accreditation is the formal recognition of an organization’s competence, integrity, and impartiality in performing specific conformity assessment tasks, such as certification, inspection, and testing. It serves as a quality assurance mechanism, ensuring that accredited Certification Bodies (CBs), Inspection Bodies (IBs), and Testing & Calibration Laboratories operate in accordance with internationally recognized standards.

At American Standards Certification & Compliance (ASCC), we provide accreditation services to Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), verifying their ability to assess and certify organizations against various ISO and regulatory standards.

Why is Accreditation Important?

Accreditation plays a crucial role in ensuring trust, consistency, and compliance in global certification practices. It benefits businesses, governments, and consumers by:

Ensuring Credibility & Reliability

Accredited certification bodies follow standardized and impartial processes, ensuring trustworthy assessments

Enhancing Global Recognition

Organizations certified by ASCC-accredited CABs gain international acceptance of their certifications

Improving Market Access

Many industries and governments require certifications from accredited bodies for regulatory approvals and global trade

Reducing Risk

Accreditation ensures that certification bodies and testing laboratories maintain high levels of competence, minimizing compliance failures

Strengthening Customer Confidence

Businesses and consumers trust certifications issued by accredited certification bodies, knowing they meet international quality and safety standards.

The Role of ASCC in Accreditation

As an independent accreditation body, ASCC ensures that CABs demonstrate:

Technical Competence

Proper expertise and knowledge to assess compliance with international standards.

Impartiality & Integrity

Fair, unbiased, and transparent certification processes

Consistent Quality Assurance

Rigorous evaluation of management systems, audit practices, and decision-making processes

By accrediting certification bodies, ASCC helps them gain global recognition, ensuring that their certifications are widely accepted and respected.

Certification Bodies (CBs)

Organizations providing ISO certification and management system audits

Inspection Bodies (IBs)

Companies performing technical inspections, safety checks, and compliance audits.

Testing & Calibration Laboratories

Labs conducting product testing, material analysis, and equipment calibration.

Accreditation vs. Certification What’s the Difference?

Many people confuse accreditation with certification, but they serve different purposes:

Accreditation

A formal recognition granted to CABs (certification bodies, testing labs, and inspection agencies) to ensure they meet international quality and competence standards

Certification

A process where CABs assess and certify organizations based on ISO or regulatory standards

Example

ASCC provides accreditation to Certification Bodies (CBs). CBs then certify businesses for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and other standards. Accreditation ensures that the certification process remains fair, consistent, and globally recognized.

How ASCC Ensures High-Quality Accreditation

At ASCC, we follow a strict accreditation process that includes:

Assessment & Audit of CABs

Evaluating their competence, compliance, and operational effectiveness

Surveillance & Monitoring

Regular audits to ensure continued adherence to international standards

Training & Development

Supporting CABs with expert training, updates, and guidance

Global Recognition

Enhancing the credibility of accredited certification bodies worldwide.

ASCC is committed to upholding the integrity of accreditation, ensuring that CABs deliver reliable, high-quality certification services to businesses across industries.