TS EN ISO/IEC 17011

TS EN ISO/IEC 17011 defines the general requirements for accreditation bodies that assess and accredit conformity assessment bodies. It addresses the institutional framework for running accreditation in a credible, consistent and impartial way, focusing on the system used to evaluate the competence of bodies that perform certification, inspection, testing and related conformity assessment activities.

The role of accreditation bodies and the technical context

Accreditation is the independent demonstration that a conformity assessment body is competent to perform specific tasks. In this framework, accreditation bodies manage core principles such as assessment methods, decision processes, competence of assessors, impartiality and confidentiality. In practice, this structure strengthens confidence in the services provided by laboratories, inspection bodies and certification bodies. In general technical terms, the standard is about the competence and consistency infrastructure of the institutions that govern conformity assessment, rather than the product requirements themselves.

What the scope of this standard covers

• General requirements for bodies that assess and accredit conformity assessment bodies
• The institutional framework for how accreditation activities are organised and controlled
• A structure connected with conformity assessment activities such as certification, inspection and testing

This record represents a withdrawn edition, so this TSE issue is no longer current. Even so, the subject remains important for understanding the fundamentals of accreditation systems. The ISO/IEC 17011 family brings together principles for management, assessment and decision-making that support the technical reliability of accreditation and help different bodies be evaluated against the same basic criteria.