| Conformity assessment is the name given to the processes that are used to demonstrate that a product, service or management system meets specified requirements. These requirements, and the processes to be followed to be able to demonstrate these requirements, are contained primarily in ISO standards and guides.
Conformity assessment covers one or more of the following activities:
Certification: where SABS gives written assurance that a product, service or management system conforms to specific requirements.
Inspection: where SABS examines a wide range of products and report on such parameters as quality, fitness for use and continuing safety in operation.
Testing: where SABS tests a product against specific criteria and reports on the results. These results are used to determine the performance of the product.
Accreditation is the process where an authorative body gives formal recognition that a body, SABS Commercial, is competent to carry out specific tasks. In South Africa, the National Accreditation body is the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS).
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International Involvement and Expertise
SABS Commercial (Pty) Ltd have specialists who are involved in the technical committees of international bodies working at the forefront of accreditation. They play a critical role in ensuring that we maintain globally acceptable standards promulgated by bodies such as:
- IAF – The International Accreditation Forum
- ILAC – The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation
- ISO – The International Organization for Standardization including ISO CASCO – the ISO committee for conformity assessment
- IEC - The International Electrotechnical Commission and its committees EE for electrical safety and EX for explosive environments.
Their participation in technical committees ensures that we keep up with the latest developments in:
- Accreditation standards and their guidelines,
- Certification auditing requirements,
- Auditing Best Practices (ABP's), and
- Good Laboratory Practices (GLP's)
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