Accreditation Committee · EAAC

Accreditation of certification bodies

The functions of the Accreditation Committee are carried out by the Eurasian Accreditation Committee (EAAC) — a separate legal entity to which the Association has delegated these powers. Applications, the procedure and decisions are handled there.

Who carries out accreditation

Powers delegated to EAAC

The Association develops the requirements. Conformity with those requirements is assessed by another organisation — the Eurasian Accreditation Committee, a legal entity in its own right. Those who write the rules do not decide who meets them.

This page therefore sets out what the accreditation function covers and how the procedure runs. Applications, requirements for applicants, document forms and decisions on individual bodies are published on the EAAC site.

Go to the EAAC site Open the EAACR register
Functions

What accreditation consists of

Accreditation is not the issue of a document but the confirmation of competence followed by surveillance. The five functions below form a cycle that does not end with a decision.

01
Accreditation of certification bodies
Bodies are accredited to certify against international standards. The criterion is ISO/IEC 17021-1: requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems.
02
Accreditation of auditors
Auditors are accredited to carry out independent assessment against the SSA standards — the Association's own standards, developed by the Technical Committee.
03
Setting the rules of accreditation
The committee establishes accreditation standards and procedures: the criteria against which an applicant is assessed, how the assessment is conducted and on what basis a decision is taken.
04
Assessment and issue of certificates
The committee assesses certification bodies and issues certificates attesting to their competence in the field stated.
05
Maintenance of the EAACR register
The committee maintains the global EAACR database, making assessment results transparent: who is accredited, in what field and what the current status of the decision is.
Procedure

Six steps of accreditation

The sequence is the same for every applicant. The sixth step returns to the beginning: accreditation is confirmed by assessments throughout the cycle, not once.

01
Submitting an application
The body submits an application stating the field in which it seeks accreditation.
02
Reviewing the application
The committee checks that the information is complete and that assessment in the stated field is feasible.
03
Preparing for assessment
An assessment team is formed, dates and the programme of work are agreed, and the applicant submits its documentation.
04
Assessment
Conformity with the accreditation criteria is examined — documentation, procedures, competence of personnel, working practice.
05
Decision on accreditation
The decision is taken on the results of the assessment and entered in the EAACR register with the scope of accreditation stated.
06
Assessment within the cycle
Accredited conformity assessment bodies are assessed within the accreditation cycle — surveillance does not stop once the certificate has been issued.
Applications are made on the EAAC site. Requirements for applicants, document forms, time limits for consideration and the appeals procedure are published there.
Apply to EAAC MLA recognition
Where the requirements come from
Standardization
The Technical Committee develops the SSA standards and assessment schemes. Accredited bodies work to them — accreditation without requirements has no subject.
Standardization
Who carries out assessment in practice
Attestation
The Attestation Committee confirms the competence of specialists and recognises training organisations. A scheme works only as well as the person applying it.
Attestation