ABSTRACT
Accreditation and certification share many concepts, but the critical distinction lies at the level of the actions. Certification is performed by a conformity assessment body (CAB), while accreditation reflects a form of approval of the CAB. Accreditors must be the masters of two universes, the protocols for accreditation in ISO/IEC 17011 and the many more specialized guides and standards concerned with conformity assessment. The accreditor's assessment of a proposed Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) includes the use of applicable standards in determining the adequacy of its testing facilities, the competence of its people, and the sufficiency of its management structure. The National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) program proved adequate for accrediting the conformity assessment of unregulated products but came up short for accrediting the conformity assessment of regulated products. The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation addresses recognition issues for testing laboratories, calibration laboratories, and inspection laboratories.
