FQS has provided ISO/IEC 17025 accreditations to forensic testing agencies in the United States longer than any other organization.
"The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board will maintain the FQS brand because we recognize its enduring value," said John J. Knappenberger, president and CEO of the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board. "We will also retain FQS's employees because their knowledge and expertise in the forensics field are unmatched."With the acquisition of FQS, the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board builds on its services, which include accreditation of calibration and testing laboratories, inspection bodies, reference material producers, proficiency testing providers, and certification bodies that audit and issue certificates to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and other management systems standards.
"The FQS brand benefits by joining forces with the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board's family of brands," said Ben Perillo, president of FQS. "The combined resources of ANAB, ACLASS, ANSI, ASQ - and now FQS - provide a full range of customer-focused conformity assessment services in the United States and elsewhere."
FQS is internationally recognized by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) through the signing of multilateral recognition arrangements that facilitate the acceptance of test data between FQS-accredited laboratories and the international community.
"With this acquisition, the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board becomes the leader for independent third-party accreditation of forensic testing agencies," said Keith Greenaway, ACLASS vice president. "Current FQS customers will experience no change in accreditation status and no interruption to their accreditation cycles. Their FQS accreditations will maintain the same international recognition they have today."
The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board provides accreditation services under the ANAB and ACLASS brands. 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; IECQ QC 08000 hazardous substance process management; PS- PrepTM; and numerous industry-specific requirements. Under the ACLASS brand, the organization accredits ISO/IEC 17025 testing and calibration laboratories, ISO/IEC 17020 inspection bodies, ISO Guide 34 reference material producers, ISO/IEC 17043 proficiency test providers, and industry-specific accreditation programs.
The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board is a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), and is a signatory of the IAF and ILAC 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 the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board, visit www.anab-aclass.org.
Forensic Quality Services is a not-for-profit membership organization incorporated in Florida. FQS accredited the first U.S. forensic testing agency to ISO/IEC 17025 and the first U.S. forensic crime laboratory to ISO/IEC 17025. FQS has been recognized by the National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation since 2004, and is a signatory of the multilateral recognition arrangements of ILAC and IAAC. FQS is recognized by the Federal Bureau of Investigations to perform QAS DNA assessment and by the National Institute of Justice as a provider. In addition to its accreditation services, FQS offers a variety of training, workshops and academic programs. For more information about FQS, visit www.forquality.org.