Who can be accredited?

Accreditation is a process of evaluating and certifying that a company, organization, or individual meets certain predetermined standards in a specific area or field. Almost any type of organization or individual can potentially be accredited, depending on the type of accreditation being sought and the standards that must be met.

Some examples of organizations and individuals that may be eligible for accreditation include:

1. Companies: Companies of all sizes and types may be eligible for accreditation, depending on the type of business they operate and the specific standards they must meet. For example, a manufacturing company may seek ISO 9001 accreditation for its quality management system, while a service company may seek ISO 20000 accreditation for its IT service management system.
2. Government agencies: Government agencies may be eligible for accreditation in order to demonstrate their competence and credibility in a specific area or field. For example, a government laboratory may seek ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for its testing and calibration services.
3. Educational institutions: Educational institutions, such as schools, colleges, and universities, may be eligible for accreditation in order to demonstrate the quality of their educational programs and facilities.
4. Non-profit organizations: Non-profit organizations, such as charities and advocacy groups, may be eligible for accreditation in order to demonstrate their competence and credibility to donors and stakeholders.
5. Individuals: Individuals may be eligible for personal certification in order to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and experience in a specific area or field.

Overall, any entity that meets the specific standards and requirements for a particular accreditation program can be accredited. The specific standards and requirements will depend on the type of accreditation being sought and the industry or field in which the entity operates.

It is only legal persons, i.e. companies or organizations , that can be accredited. United States Accreditation Inc. provides accreditations to conformity assessment bodies. These bodies consist of laboratories, certification and inspection bodies, providers of proficiency tests and reference material producers.

And also organizations responsible for public safety and welfare such as building departments, hospitals, schools, and police and fire departments also seek accreditation to demonstrate their competence and reliability.

Accreditation is a way to demonstrate quality and competence. It has positive effects for authorities, purchasers, industry, manufacturers and consumers.

United States Accreditation Inc. is a member of a number of organizations that have mutual recognition agreements in place to assist with international acceptance of conformity assessment results. These agreements are part of greater efforts to form a global accreditation system, consistent with the goal of "one standard, one test accepted everywhere."

Conformity assessment bodies may be accredited by United States Accreditation Inc. if it meets the requirements of the corresponding international standards.