What is iaf in iso certification?
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) is the world association of Conformity Assessment Accreditation Bodies. Its main function is to develop a world-wide program of conformity assessment which will promote the elimination of non-tariff barriers to trade.
When it comes to the authenticity and genuinely of any Certificates, you should verify the source of the Certificate, the issuer, and their credibility. Not all certification bodies (CB) have the authority to issue the ISO Certificates, only accredited CB’s can issue the Certificates.
To verify the details, status, and authenticity of ISO Certificates, You have to observe the following details in the Certificate and in respective authorized websites.
For IAF Accredited Certificates, the following things to be considered for authenticity,
Accredited Certification Bodies should have the Accreditation Certificate and that accreditation certificate is issued based on the competency of the Certification Body operations. And Certification Bodies can only issue the Certificates for the scopes they have accredited. Certification Bodies should work according to the ISO 17021 Standard for the issuance of Management System Certificates.
ISO 17021 Standard is the Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems standard, and Certification Body should align with the guidelines mentioned in ISO 17021 Standard.
Certification Body details must be available on the respected Accreditation Body website and Accreditation Body details must be mentioned in IAF Website for respective Countries.
If the details of CB are not found on the Accreditation Body website, then the respected CB is accredited.
If Accreditation Body details are not found on the IAF website, then the AB is not a member of IAD and the Certificate is non-IAF.
For example, BSI is the British Certification Body and accredited by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Services). For the details of this BSI should found the UKAS Website and UKAS information on IAF Website.
BSI Details in UKAS Website: https://www.ukas.com/find-an-organisation/?q=BSI
Accreditation Certificate of BSI: https://www.ukas.com/wp-content/uploads/schedule_uploads/00011/04947/0003Management-Systems.pdf
UKAS Details in IAF Website: https://www.iaf.nu/articles/IAF_MEM_United_Kingdom/111
We’re all familiar with ISO 9001 Certificates carrying three logos, for example, the Certification Body logo (say, Lloyds Register), the Accreditation Body logo (say, UKAS) and the IAF logo. But the IAF logo doesn’t appear on every Certificate. Why is that? And is it significant?
Only standards formally endorsed by IAF – the International Accreditation Forum - under their IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) can enjoy worldwide recognition. Accreditation for other standards, even though granted by the same Accreditation Boards, does not have international recognition.
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) is an international association of accreditation bodies that deal with assessing the conformity of management systems to accepted standards.
There are 102 IAF Members and Signatories at present.
Accreditation body members of IAF are admitted to the MLA only after a stringent evaluation of their operations by a peer evaluation team. It is the responsibility of this team to assess that the applicant member complies fully with both the international standards and IAF guidelines.
Each accreditation body that is a signatory to the IAF MLA commits to:
The primary purpose of IAF is two-fold.
Firstly, to ensure that its accreditation body members only accredit bodies (i.e. certification bodies) that are competent to do the work they undertake and are not subject to conflicts of interest.
The second purpose of the IAF is to establish mutual recognition arrangements, known as Multilateral Recognition Arrangements (MLA), between its accreditation body members which reduces risk to business and its customers by ensuring that an accredited certificate may be relied upon anywhere in the world. The MLA also contributes to the freedom of world trade by eliminating technical barriers to trade.
Note 1: There’s added, and unnecessary, confusion about Regional Accreditation Groups. The IAF MLA has been structured to build on existing and developing regional MLAs established around the world. IAF has granted Special Recognition to the MLA programs of five Regional Accreditation Groups…
Membership of the IAF MLA is recognised as being satisfied by the membership of any of the above MLAs for recognised programs. Therefore, you may see the logos of these organizations also on ISO Certificates – four logos in total.
Lead Implementer Courses for ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 and ISO 45001
Note 2: The IAF has a sister organization, the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). The IAF is active in the fields of management systems, products, services, personnel and other similar programmes of conformity assessment, while the ILAC operates in the field of laboratory and inspection accreditation. Attempts are being made to unify the two organizations.
The list of IAF endorsed normative documents for management systems is currently (August 2020) limited to seven:
It is interesting to note that for ISO 13485 Certificates, the inclusion of the IAF logo, in addition to the logos of the certification body and of the accreditation board, was first permitted in 2015. Since then the IAF has encouraged the addition of their logo to all Certificates where applicable.
In granting a Certification Body accreditation for an IAF endorsed Standard, Accreditation Bodies limit the scope of the accreditation to those economic sectors where they, the Accreditation Body, consider competence has been demonstrated.
It is demanding and expensive for Certification Bodies to maintain a broad range of scope unless they have the business to justify the expenditure. If your Certification Body's Scope of Accreditation doesn't cover your economic sector, talk to them about it. They may be very pleased to extend their scope to satisfy your need.
Two situations need to be considered, the first relates to your relationship with your Customers and the second to your relationship with your Suppliers.
For your Customers, the presence of an IAF logo significantly adds to the prestige of the ISO Certificate you offer, and this is particularly important when negotiating with potential customers, especially international ones. The best practical approach is to seek out a Certification Body for your business that can provide accredited certification with IAF endorsement.
As for your Suppliers, if the ISO Certificates offered do not carry an IAF logo, you should always ask why. If you cannot be provided with a rational explanation, or if the response to your question is a glazed look, move on and get yourself another Supplier who can provide ISO Certificates with all three logos – the real deal!
See the complete body of information on the IAF website.
