Accreditation of a certification body, which certifies products, means the assessment of its competence for performance of specific tasks in the area of conformity. The scope of accreditation of an accredited certification body is listed in the annex to the Certificate of Accreditation.
What is the certification of products?
Certification of products is a procedure conducted by a third party in order to certify the product conformity to technical specifications. The certificate proves the fulfilment of the requirements required by the technical
specifications. The word „product“ is used in the broadest sense, and includes processes and services.
What is the accreditation based on?
- ČSN EN ISO/IEC 17065:2013 Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services
- MPA 40-01-.. Methodological instructions for the application of ČSN EN ISO/IEC 17065:2013. Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services in Czech Accreditation System
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 40-01-..
What are the other requirements for the accreditation of 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.
The rules are set out in MPA 00-01-.., Annex 1. Selection of witness audits must be representative enough, and their smallest number must follow the scope of the required accreditation (see MPA 40-01-.., Annex 1).
Is the accreditation of the certification bodies recognised abroad?
CAI is a full-fledged member and represents the Czech Republic in international organisations engaged 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 products is covered by:
- EA MLA (Multilateral Agreement)
- IAF MLA (Multilateral Agreement)
CAI is the signatory of these agreements, in their full scope.
To whom can you turn with a request for further information?
Ing. Milan Svoboda 272 096 208, 714 797 777 svobodam@cai.cz
Ing. Milan Šmarda 724 830 470 smardam@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.