Inspection accreditation is a means of determining the technical competence, independence and impartiality of organisations that carry out specific inspection activities. The Inspection services provided by an inspection body are an essential part of ensuring the operational safety of many items used by the public in their daily lives.
These inspection services may involve the examination of the design, product, service, process or installation; and determining their conformity with specific requirements. Many types of inspection also involve professional judgement for their conformance against standards and general requirements.
To become accredited your organisation must demonstrate to an accreditation body, that you have the necessary competence to perform the specified tasks.
Who is eligible for accreditation?
Examples of activities which benefit from accreditation include inspection of pressure equipment, cranes and passenger ropeways, lifts, the inspection of offshore structures for oil and gas exploration and production, mechanical equipment inspection, non-destructive testing, the inspection of meat, dairy products and other food production, biosecurity and border control inspections, to name a few.
Inspection body accreditation is a formal means of demonstrating the technical competence of your inspection body to perform specific types of inspections, thereby providing a ready means for your customers to gain confidence in the quality of inspection services they will receive.
If you are considering seeking accreditation for your inspection organisation, the first thing you will need to do is contact the appropriate accreditation body to see whether they can accredit your range of inspection services. Most national accreditation bodies can provide comprehensive accreditation for:
- facilities undertaking any sort of inspection;
- private or government inspection bodies;
- remote field operations and temporary inspection operations;
- small/micro operations or large multi-disciplinary organisations