How Do Accreditation Bodies Manage Risk Associated with the Accreditation Business?

Abstract

Among other factors, accreditation-focused entities operating various accreditation schemes for conformity assessment bodies are expected to fulfill requirements of international standard ISO/IEC 17011:2017 (Conformity Assessment – Requirements for accreditation bodies providing conformity assessment). Consideration should be made of legal requirements. Additional requirements of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) as well as the requirements of scheme owners, such as CORSIA and GlobalG.A.P., etc., should adhere to the word “risk,” which appears in different places of the ISO/IEC 17011:2017. The main objective of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 is to ensure competence, consistent operation, and impartiality of accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies. The term “risk” is defined as the “effect of uncertainty on objectives” (ISO 31000:2018, clause 3.1). Therefore, it is required to consider all possible uncertainties by accreditation bodies (ABs) and initiate suitable actions to prevent or mitigate such risks. Mandatory documents (MDs) published by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) have addressed how accreditation bodies should consider risks when they operate specific accreditation schemes, such as EMS, FSMS, QMS, OH&SMS, etc. There are no common viewpoints published or discussed in relation to the risks associated with accreditation bodies. This aims to create awareness of possible risks associated with accreditation bodies and share experiences with examples of cases on how accreditation bodies react to uncertain situations with respect to achieving the intended objectives of ISO/IEC 17011.