Accreditation means the assessment and confirmation of the competence of an organisation for performance of a specific activity. In case of certification bodies operating certification of persons this means the assessment of their competence for the certification of persons according to the requirements defined in certification schemes / programmes. The certification itself consists in the verification of conformity of personnel qualification with specified requirements.
What is the accreditation based on?
- ČSN EN ISO/IEC 17024:2013 Conformity assessment – General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons
Note: Receiving applications for accreditation according to this standard started since 1.4.2014.
Other documents related to the accreditation process
All documents are available on the web site of the Czech Accreditation Institute, public service company (CAI).
Time scale and cost of assessment
The cost of the assessment is paid by the applicant. The rules are set out in the documents:
- MPA 00-01-.. General Rules of Accreditation Process
- MPA 60-01-.. Methodological instructions for the application of ČSN EN ISO/IEC 17024:2013 Conformity assessment – General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons in the accreditation system of the Czech Republic
What are the other requirements for the accreditation of the certification bodies?
Direct monitoring of an applicant’s activity on site and assessment of certifications performed under operation (so called „witness audits“) is an integral part of the assessment of applicants.
Selection of witness audits must be representative enough, and their smallest number must follow the scope of the required accreditation (see MPA 60-01-..).
Is the accreditation of the certification bodies recognised abroad?
The accreditation and “outputs documents” of accreditation bodies are recognized by different authorities of EU countries provided that the relevant national accreditation body is a signatory to multilateral agreements on mutual recognition of accreditation bodies work.
CAI is a full-fledged member of international organisations involved in the accreditation of certification bodies:
- European Co-operation for Accreditation – EA
- International Accreditation Forum – IAF
Within these international organisations, national accreditation bodies conclude multilateral agreements on mutual recognition of the results of the accreditation bodies activities; certification of personnel is covered by:
- EA MLA (Multilateral Agreement) – CAI is the signatory of this agreement, in its full scope.
Who can you ask for further information?
Accreditation program managers for bodies operating certification of persons
Milan Svoboda +420 272 096 208, +420 724 797 770 svobodam@cai.cz
Tomáš Mikuta +420 272 096 216, +420 722 169 119 mikutat@cai.cz
FOR THE LIST OF ALL VALID GUIDELINES (MPA), CAI SERVICES PRICE LIST, LIST OF ALL ACCREDITED ENTITIES AND OTHER INFORMATION, SEE www.cai.cz.