Glossary
Accreditation - The means by which an
authoritative body validates the conformance of a certification
body (CB, also known as a registrar) to the requirements of
international criteria.
Audit - ANAB conducts office audits and witness
audits of CBs seeking accreditation.
- An office audit is a systematic and
independent evaluation performed at the CB's facility to determine
whether its documented certification system has been and continues
to be effectively implemented.
- A witnessed audit is an evaluation of a CB's
audit team conducting a certification audit (that is, an assessment
of an organization's management systems to the requirements of
applicable standards). The objective is to evaluate the CB audit
team's competence, conformity to international auditing
requirements, knowledge of applicable standards, and other
factors.
Certification - Used to verify the conformance
of an organization's management systems to a standard or other
requirement. Also sometimes referred to as registration.
Certification body (CB) - A third-party company
contracted to evaluate the conformance of an organization's
management systems to the requirements of the appropriate standards
and issue a certificate of conformance when warranted. Also known
as a registrar.
Conformity assessment - Activities concerned
with determining that relevant requirements in standards or
regulations are fulfilled. Provides a means of ensuring that the
products, services, or systems produced or operated have the
required characteristics, and that these characteristics are
consistent from product to product, service to service, or system
to system.
International Accreditation Forum (IAF) - The
world association of national accreditation bodies for management
systems and other conformity assessment programs. Its primary
function is to develop a single worldwide program of conformity
assessment that reduces risk for businesses and customers by
assuring them that accredited certificates can be relied upon.
Accreditation assures users of the competence and impartiality of
the body accredited. ANAB is a member of IAF.
International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) - A network of the national standards institutes of
156 countries, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland,
that coordinates the system. ISO standards contribute to making the
development, manufacture, and supply of products and services more
efficient, safe, and clean.
ISO 9001 - International standard for quality
management - what an organization does to fulfill customer quality
requirements and applicable regulatory requirements, while aiming
to enhance customer satisfaction and achieve continual improvement
of its performance in pursuit of these objectives.
ISO 14001 - International standard for
environmental management - what an organization does to minimize
harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities and
achieve continual improvement of its environmental performance.
Management systems - An organization's
structure for managing its processes that transform inputs of
resources into a product or service that meet the organization's
objectives, such as satisfying customer quality requirements,
complying with regulations, or meeting environmental
objectives.
Management systems standards - Unlike most ISO
standards, which are specific to a particular product, material, or
process, these standards apply to generic management systems. The
standards can be applied to any organization, large or small,
whatever its product or service, in any sector of activity.
- ISO 9001 - Specifies requirements for
quality management systems (QMS).
- AS9100, AS 9110 - Specifies requirements for
ISO 9001-based quality management systems for the
aerospace industry.
- TL 9000 - Specifies requirements for ISO
9001-based quality management systems for the
telecommunications industry.
- ISO/IEC 13485 - Specifies requirements for ISO
9001-based quality management systems for medical device
manufacturers.
- ISO 14001 - Specifies requirements for
environmental management systems (EMS).
- RC 14001 - Specifies requirements based on
ISO-14001 and the American Chemistry Council's Responsible Care®
program for the chemical industry.
- RCMS - Specifies requirements for the American
Chemistry Council's Responsible Care® management
systems.
Sustainable Forestry Initiative - Specifies requirements of the
Sustainable Forestry Board.
- ISO/IEC 22000 - Specifies requirements for
food safety management systems.
- ISO/IEC 27001 - Specifies requirements for
information security management systems.
- ANSI/AIHI Z-10 - U.S. national standard that
specifies requirements for occupational health and
safety management systems (not an international
standard).
- RIOS - Specifies requirements for the
Recycling Industry Operating Standard.
Registrar - See certification body (CB).