ABOUT ACCREDITATION

Accreditation is a system which purpose is to create more confidence in the services provided by an accredited company. The trust is based on the fact that fulfillment of the requirements is assessed by a competent and impartial organisation, and that the requirements are known to everyone.

Accreditation can be a requirement from customers or authorities, or a wish from the company to promote the sale of products/services. Documentation of fulfillment of internationally recognized requirements can provide access to new markets and customers.

When a specific product or service is to be recognised, this can be done by having the product or service assessed by a company which carries out the assessment during an accreditation.

In Denmark, DANAK is the national accreditation body, which is stipulated in executive order 1230 of 11 December 2009. DANAK is a member of the international associations of accreditation bodies, and DANAK follows their approach to accreditation.

Products or services performed under DANAK accreditation are recognized in a number of areas worldwide. This is done via a multilateral agreement on mutual recognition under the organization EA, which includes Europe and individual states outside. In addition, agreements have been concluded under the global organizations IAF and ILAC, which ensure that accreditations are also recognized internationally.

Read more about international rules and cooperation on accreditation here.

EA's description of accreditation can be found here.

STANDARDS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

The generel basis for accreditation work is the internationally recognized accreditation standards which requirements for, for example, testing, inspection or certification. The standards are aimed at companies that must check products/services. There is also a standard which describes requirements for accreditation bodies.

DANAK issues accreditation regulations concerning the concrete application of the standards. These regulations are based on requirements from international organisations such as the EA, IAF and ILAC. These documents contain interpretation of the above standards. In addition, DANAK also issues accreditation messages with opinions and practical information concerning accreditation.

Requirements for the product/service are described separately, and are about requirements for the supplying company. Such requirements can be found in legislation, international standards or independently developed requirements documents. How fulfillment of these requirements must be assessed is shown by schemes in the various areas. Schemes can be described in the documents with requirements for the product or in independent documents.

In order to ensure that requirements for accreditation can be stated unambiguously in notices and other documents about schemes, DANAK has prepared a guide, which appears in accreditation message AMF 08.

ACCREDITATION IS THE CONTROL OF PERFORMED ASSESSMENT

By accreditation, DANAK assesses the companies that carry out assessment (e.g. testing, inspection or certification). The assessment includes fulfillment of the relevant requirements listed above and is carried out by reviewing documentation and registrations as well as interviewing and demonstrating the performance of the tasks that must be covered by accreditation.

Accreditation also concerns technical matters such as whether equipment is calibrated and suitable for the task, whether measurement results are reliable and correctly recorded and whether there is control over the traceability of measuring instruments, tested materials and measurement results.

ACCREDITATION FOR 4 YEARS

If the company meets the requirements, it will normally be granted accreditation for a four-year period. However, laboratories will usually start with a three-year term. Within that period, DANAK will carry out regular inspection visits. During this period the company will be assessed by DANAKs team of assessors.

When the company is accredited, it is basically obliged to use the DANAK accreditation mark on reports and certificates relating to the accredited services.

The accredited services, which a company can provide after issuing an accreditation , will be described in DANAKs decision on accreditation and on DANAK's website.

Read more about the accredited companies here.

WHO BENEFITS FROM ACCREDITATION?

For a company, an accreditation means

Easier access to markets and customers, easier acceptance among authorities of products or services, and certainty that the products comply with applicable regulations/certain requirements.
Accreditation can in certain cases replace regulatory requirements, so that other regulation and control at the company can be of smaller scale or even completely preventable.
Access to the EU's internal market is in certain cases conditional on notification, which is often based on accreditation.
Consumers are getting increased assurance that products or services conform to established or recognized specifications for both quality and safety.
Authorities can ensure implementation of legal requirements by linking them to accreditation.