The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation ILAC The International
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) & The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) Benefits of the ILAC & IAF Multilateral Mutual Recognition Arrangements Emanuele Riva – IAF Vice-Chair
What is accreditation? ‘Independent evaluation of conformity assessment bodies against recognized standards to ensure their impartiality and competence to carry out specific activities, such as tests, calibrations, inspections and certifications. ’
Peer Evaluation ACCREDITATION International Standards CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT BODIES Standards / Regulatory requirements / Scheme criteria PRODUCT & SERVICE PROVIDERS CONFIDENCE GOVERNMENT TRUST CONSUMERS ASSURANCE PURCHASERS
IAF and ILAC – an Introduction ILAC and IAF are global networks of accreditation bodies and organisations involved in conformity assessment activities. – Recognition of competent and equally reliable conformity assessment activities through Global Arrangements – The development and harmonization of accreditation practices – The promotion of accreditation as an effective mechanism for providing confidence in goods and services
IAF and ILAC Objectives – To maintain the Arrangements, and to expand coverage into new economies – To increase cooperation with all relevant stakeholders – To act as a central ‘hub’ to harmonise conformity assessment best practice – To provide assistance to developing countries by providing appropriate support to new accreditation activities
Global Vision – A single programme of conformity assessment which reduces risk for business, regulators and the consumer, by ensuring that accredited services can be relied upon. – Government and Regulators relying on the Arrangements to further develop or enhance trade agreements. – To support world trade by eliminating technical barriers, realising the free-trade goal of ‘tested, inspected or certified once and accepted everywhere'.
ILAC – The Membership • ILAC is the oversight body for laboratory and inspection body accreditation. Full Members Associate Members Affiliates Regional Cooperation Bodies Stakeholders
IAF– The Membership • IAF is the oversight body in the fields of the certification of management systems, personnel and products. Accreditation Bodies Certification Body Associations Regional Cooperation Bodies Industry Associations Stakeholders and Scheme Owners
IAF / ILAC timeline 2001 1 st Joint IAF-ILAC General Assembly 2000 ILAC MRA Testing & 2012 ILAC MRA Calibration Inspection 1977 – ILAC established 1996 – ILAC MOU 1993 – IAF established 1998 IAF MLA for QMS IAF Bylaws IAF Incorporated 2003 - ILAC Incorporated 2004 – IAF MLAs for EMS and Product
The ILAC and IAF Arrangements – Accreditation body members deemed competent through a peer evaluation process: – ISO/IEC 17011 – IAF-ILAC A series documents – Signatories must recognise certificates, reports, and results issued by organisations accredited by other Signatories – Provides business with assurance that overseas bodies operate to the same standard. – Removes technical barriers to trade by eliminating redundant conformity assessment
Regional Cooperation Bodies • The IAF and ILAC Arrangements are structured to build on existing and developing regional MLAs/MRAs established around the world. Pacific European Cooperation Accreditation Cooperation for (PAC) Accreditation (EA) Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) Asia Pacific Southern African Development Laboratory Community Accreditation Cooperation (SADCA) (APLAC) • The IAF MLA recognises EA, PAC, IAAC • The ILAC MRA recognises EA, APLAC, IAAC African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) Arab Accreditation Cooperation
Coverage of the ILAC MRA Signatories ILAC Associate Members ILAC Affiliate Members (April 2016)
Status of the ILAC MRA (April 2016) – The ILAC network of members includes 152 bodies from 118 different economies (89 Full Members/MRA Signatories, 17 Associates, 13 Affiliates, 27 Stakeholders, 6 Regional Cooperation Bodies) – 89 ILAC MRA Signatories representing 86 economies ; – ILAC MRA covers testing, calibration and inspection ; – Signatories represent about 95% of Global GDP ; – More than 49, 000 accredited laboratories ; – Approximately 8, 000 accredited inspection bodies.
USA Specifiers of the ILAC MRA – Consumer Product Safety Commission – Federal Highway Administration – Coast Guard – Department of Defense – Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Food and Drug Administration – Environmental Protection Agency
Coverage of the IAF MLA Signatories IAF Members not yet Signatories (April 2016)
Status of the IAF MLA (April 2016) There are 61 IAF MLA Signatories, representing 56 economies – Main Scope – Management Systems : 55 Accreditation Bodies and EA, PAC & IAAC – Product: 53 Accreditation Bodies and EA, PAC & IAAC – Sub Scope Level 4 – Global. G. A. P. IFA General Regulations: 28 Accreditation Bodies and EA, PAC & IAAC – ISO/TS 22003: 11 Accreditations Bodies and PAC – ISO/IEC 27006: 3 Accreditations Bodies and PAC – Sub Scope Level 5 – ISO 9001 QMS : 55 Accreditation Bodies and EA, PAC & IAAC – ISO 14001 EMS : 51 Accreditation Bodies and EA, PAC & IAAC – Global. G. A. P. IFA CPCCs: 28 Accreditation Bodies and EA, PAC & IAAC – ISO 22000: 11 Accreditations Bodies and PAC – ISO/IEC 27001: 3 Accreditations Bodies and PAC – Accepting Applications: MDMS, FSMS, ISMS, Persons, GHG V&V
The Benefits For Government • Facilitator of trade • An efficient enforcement and monitoring tool For Business • Greater acceptance of products and services • Avoid costs associated with repeat conformity assessment • Informed procurement For Consumers • Public confidence in goods and services • Minimises product failures or recalls
Summary – Commitment to developing a harmonised global approach for accreditation practices – Maintaining the Arrangements to ensure equal reliability of accredited services. – Promoting greater acceptance by regulators and businesses to remove technical barriers to trade, and avoiding the need for duplicate certifications, testing or inspections. – Supporting developing economies to establish an accreditation infrastructure.
Contact Details For more information contact: The IAF Secretariat Elva Nilsen Box 1811 Chelsea, Quebec Canada J 9 B 1 A 0 The ILAC Secretariat PO Box 7507 Silverwater NSW 2128 Australia Phone: +1 (613) 454 8159 Email: iaf@iaf. nu Phone: +612 9736 8374 Email: ilac@nata. com. au www. iaf. nu www. ilac. org
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