The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is now a signatory of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) for ISO/IEC 17043, Guidelines for the requirements for the competence of providers of proficiency testing schemes.
ANAB attained ISO/IEC 17043 recognition under the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) regional group. In addition to being recognized for ISO/IEC 17043, ANAB has previously signed the APAC and InterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) MRAs and has been recognized for:
ISO/IEC 17020 - Inspection
ISO/IEC 17021-1- Management system certification (multiple scopes)
ISO/IEC 17024 - Certification of persons
ISO/IEC 17025 - Calibration and testing
ISO 17034 - Reference material producers
ISO/IEC 17065 - Certification of product, process and services
ISO 14065 - Greenhouse gas validation and verification
ISO 15189 - Testing
The addition of ISO/IEC 17043 reflects a significant expansion of ANAB's MRA status.
The ILAC MRA facilitates the acceptance of conformity assessment results (for example, test reports, test certificates, inspection reports, and certification) worldwide. Conformity assessment results that are produced by conformity assessment bodies that have been accredited by one MRA signatory are accepted by all of the other MRA signatories.
The mutual recognition and acceptance of conformity assessment results reduces the need to undertake duplicate testing, inspection or certification, thus saving time and money, increasing economic efficiency and facilitating international trade.
The ILAC MRA links regional MRAs of recognized regional cooperation bodies (APAC and IAAC), to which ILAC delegates authority for the evaluations related to the MRA signatory status of accreditation bodies, such as ANAB, that are full members of ILAC. Accreditation bodies that are MRA signatories have undergone a rigorous peer evaluation in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011 to demonstrate their competence.
About ANAB
The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is the largest multi-disciplinary ISO/IEC 17011 accreditation body in North America, with comprehensive signatory status across the multilateral recognition arrangements of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). The ANAB accreditation portfolio includes management systems certification bodies, calibration and testing labs, product certification bodies, personnel credentialing organizations, forensic test and calibration service providers, inspection bodies, police crime units, greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies, reference material producers, and proficiency test providers.
About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system, serving the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).