Accreditation

What is accreditation?

Accreditation is a formal third-party attestation by a national accreditation body confirming the competence of a conformity assessment body to perform specific conformity assessment activities.

Accreditation applies to a defined scope of activities and demonstrates that the accredited body has the competence to perform those activities in accordance with the applicable standards and other requirements. 

Conformity assessment activities covered by accreditation include, among others:

• testing – determination of one or more characteristics of an object of conformity assessment according to specified requirements;
• calibration – establishing, under specified conditions, the relationship between values indicated by a measuring instrument or system and corresponding reference values;
• inspection – examination of an item, process, service or installation and determination of its conformity with specified requirements;
• certification – independent third-party confirmation that specified requirements relating to a product, process, service, management system or person have been fulfilled;
• medical examinations – activities performed by medical laboratories in accordance with the applicable requirements for quality and competence;
• validation and verification – confirmation of claims through the provision of objective evidence;
• proficiency testing – evaluation of participant performance against pre-established criteria by means of interlaboratory comparisons;
• production of reference materials – production and characterisation of materials intended for use as references in measurement and testing.

Other areas of accreditation may include biobanking and other conformity assessment activities covered by applicable international standards and accreditation schemes. 

A conformity assessment body (CAB) is a body that performs conformity assessment activities and can be subject to accreditation.

Regulated area – an area in which conformity assessment is required by legislation.

Non-regulated area – an area in which conformity assessment is not mandatory under legislation and may be carried out on a voluntary basis.

Conformity assessment - a process during which it is assessed whether the requirements related to the product, process, service, system, person or body (hereinafter - conformity assessment object) are fulfilled.

Testing, calibration, examination, inspection, certification, validation and verification, reference material production and proficiency testing, delivered by accredited bodies (CABs), are collectively known as conformity assessment activities. Acting as authoritative and impartial entities, National Accreditation Bodies (NABs) evaluate competence of laboratories, inspection and certification bodies. NABs guarantee credibility of conformity assessment and reliability of certificates and reports. Conformity assessment services delivered under accreditation confirm that products and services comply with established requirements – standards and other relevant specifications. The conformity assessment system is structured in order to give assurance to the public and boost business competitiveness. In Europe, the conformity assessment system has been improved by the European Commission so as to increase confidence of regulators, businesses and consumers, and to guarantee free movement within the market of goods and services, offering a high level of health protection and safety for consumers and the environment. All groups of society are involved in ensuring confidence in the products and services put on the market: governments, businesses, clients and end-users.

Accreditation is an ongoing process that guarantees the competence of accredited bodies performing conformity assessment services such as:

• CERTIFICATION OF PRODUCTS, PROCESSES AND SERVICES
  • toys, lifts, electrical devices, personal protection equipment, building products, biofuels, organic food and quality marks, recycled products, e-signature
• CERTIFICATION OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
  • for quality, environment, occupational health and safety, energy, food, information security, information technology, sustainable development
• LABORATORY TESTS
  • chemical, biological, physical, fire, mechanical, water, air, food, electrical and electronic, software, DNA, fingerprints, anti-doping, animal health
• MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
  • microbiology, histology, oncology, haematology, genetics, immunobiology, bacteriology, virology, endocrinology, reproductive biology
• CERTIFICATION OF PERSONS
  • auditors, welders, verifiers, inspectors, experts, consultants, professionals in IT, healthcare, training and education
• CALIBRATIONS
  • speed control meters, weighing machines, spectrometers, chronometers, radiation monitor devices, gas flow meters, electric counters
• INSPECTIONS
  • products, services, processes, designs, installations, buildings, roads, railways, trucks and cars
• VALIDATIONS AND VERIFICATIONS
  • ​​​​​​​ of greenhouse gas emissions, such as water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons
• PROFICIENCY TESTING PROVIDERS
  • ​​​​​​​ Environment, health, food, forensic, sampling, energy, safety
• REFERENCE MATERIAL PRODUCERS
  • ​​​​​​​ Environment, food, oil, water

The importance of accreditation increases with each year not only in Europe, but in Latvia as well. Accreditation helps to reduce technical trade barriers and increases trust of consumers, public administration and enterprises in quality and safety of products and services. The conformity assessment bodies operating both in private sector and in public sector may request accreditation as verification of competency of their activities.

Accreditation is the top level instrument in the whole hierarchy of quality provision, to ensure and verify conformity of products and the provided services to requirements of safety, health and environment protection.

As accreditation is also internationally recognized, it increasingly more widely used in trade of goods and services and in mutual recognition, as well as serves as the instrument of competence verification of a conformity assessment body for state administration bodies, if they choose to delegate certain conformity assessment activities (testing, calibration, inspection, and certification).

Products certified by an accredited certification body or tested in an accredited laboratory gain greater trust from consumers, buyers and market players.

Accreditation is conducted in accordance with international standards of series ISO 17000, ISO 15000. Competency of national accreditation bodies of separate states is ensured by mutual assessments. Based on conformity of such assessment results, LATAK has concluded the Multilateral Agreement (MLA) with European Co-operation for Accreditation EA. Mutual recognitions among accreditation bodies increase international recognition of accreditation results and prevent the need to request accreditation in several states. By participation in mutual activities LATAK ensures accreditation and recognition of verifications issued by accredited conformity assessment bodies in other states.

The accredited conformity assessment bodies have to use the accreditation mark in their certificates or reports. The accreditation mark shall consist of the accreditation logo, the number of the standard, and the number of the body. More detailed information regarding use of the accreditation mark is available in the LATAK document

as well as in Cabinet Regulations No. 754 from 19.12.2023..

An accredited conformity assessment body may refer to the accreditation granted by LATAK. LATAK is a signatory to the European co-operation for Accreditation Multilateral Agreement (EA MLA), ensuring recognition of accreditation within the European framework. International recognition is also continued within the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI) Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MRA).

A new Global ACI MRA Mark has been established. Once its registration process has been completed and its use has been officially authorised by Global ACI, eligible accredited conformity assessment bodies will be able to use the Mark in accordance with the applicable rules and within the relevant scope of accreditation. At present, the Global ACI MRA Mark may not yet be used.

Accreditation procedures

Accreditation process and application

Accreditation process includes the assessment of competence of conformity assessment bodies on the basis of documented evidences, evaluation of the conformity assessment body (CAB) on site and witnessing of conformity assessment activity.

Steps of the accreditation process:

1. application;
2. review of submitted documents and the first visit of the CAB, signing of agreement;
3. assessment (management system, performed practical activities, participation of LATAK assessors in the evaluation of practical activities/witnessing);
4. assessment report, evaluation of corrective activities of the CAB;
5. decision on accreditation, certificate of accreditation, definition of accredited scope;
6. periodical monitoring (in average once per year);
7. re-accreditation (5 years cycle).

Accreditation process is described in the LATAK document D.008

Application

A legal person willing to acquire accreditation, shall submit an official application to the LATAK. Application forms individually for each type of CAB are available on LATAK webpage, in the Services section. In the application the CAB shall indicate the desirable scope of accreditation, in particular defining the testing methods, product and system standards or other standard technical documents. It is necessary to fill in other requested documents together with the application and submit quality manual and respective procedures.

The first visit of CAB shall be organised after the receipt of all necessary documents in the LATAK office.