ACLASS maintains status as IAAC MLA signatory.
Press Release Summary:
At IAAC MLA Committee meeting on February 18, ANSI-ASQ/ACLASS was approved for continued status as signatory of IAAC MLA for calibration and testing. According to Dr. Bill Hirt, ACLASS Senior Accreditation Manager, this ongoing recognition by IAAC promotes regional and international acceptance of accreditations granted by ACLASS. IAAC evaluates and recognizes competence of accreditation bodies during evaluations conducted every 4 yr after MLA signatory status is attained.
Original Press Release:
ACLASS Continues as Signatory to IAAC MLA
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) - American Society for Quality (ASQ) National Accreditation Board/ACLASS has been approved for continued status as a signatory of the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) multilateral recognition arrangement (MLA) for calibration and testing. The approval took place at a meeting of the IAAC MLA Committee on February 18 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A regional association of accreditation bodies in the Americas and other organizations interested in conformity assessment, IAAC promotes international acceptance of endorsed test and calibration reports and other documents issued by laboratories accredited by signatories to the IAAC MLA.
"This ongoing recognition by IAAC promotes regional and international acceptance of accreditations granted by ACLASS," Dr. Bill Hirt, ACLASS Senior Accreditation Manager, said. "By promoting acceptance of testing and calibration results among participating bodies, the IAAC MLA helps facilitate trade among the economies of the Americas and globally."
IAAC evaluates and recognizes the competence of accreditation bodies, which in turn evaluate and recognize the competence of certification, registration, inspection bodies, and testing and calibration laboratories that operate in North and South America. Approval to sign the IAAC MLA is granted only after a rigorous peer evaluation, which is conducted every four years after MLA signatory status is attained.
The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board provides accreditation services under the ACLASS and ANAB brands.
Under the ACLASS brand, the organization accredits ISO/IEC 17025 testing and calibration laboratories, ISO/IEC 17020 inspection bodies, and ISO Guide 34 reference material producers.
Under the ANAB brand, the organization is the U.S. accreditation body for management systems and accredits certification bodies for ISO 9001 quality management systems; ISO 14001 environmental management systems; ISO 22000 food safety management systems; ISO 28000 supply chain security management systems; ISO/IEC 20000-1 information technology service management systems; ISO 27001 information security management systems; ANSI/AIHA Z10, CSA Z1000, and BS?OHSAS 18001 occupational health and safety management systems, and numerous industry-specific requirements.
The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board is a member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), and is a signatory of the ILAC and IAF multilateral recognition arrangements. Through these arrangements, the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board cooperates with other accreditation bodies around the world to provide value to the organization it has accredited and their clients, ensuring that accredited certificates are recognized nationally and internationally. The global conformity assessment system ensures confidence and reduces risk for customers engaging in trade worldwide.
For more information about ACLASS, visit www.aclasscorp.com.
For more information about ANAB, visit www.anab.org.
