About accreditation

Accreditation applies to various types of conformity assessment bodies.

Conformity assessment is the demonstration that what is being supplied meets the requirements specified or claimed. It can be applied to a product, service, process, management system or a body or persons, and includes activities such as testing, inspection, certification, validation and verification. The organisations that make these checks are called conformity assessment bodies.

Accreditation drives confidence in all sectors by underpinning the quality of results, ensuring their traceability, comparability and validity. PCA accreditation ensures the highest levels of impartiality, objectivity and competence through the continuous assessment process, delivered by highly competent assessors and technical experts in all fields.

Accreditation determines the technical competence, reliability and integrity of conformity assessment bodies. It spans all aspects of our everyday lives to provide confidence that accredited organisations are competent and can be trusted to deliver promised levels of performance and protection for the products and services we rely on.

Organisations check conformity and compliance with standards and regulations through testing, verification, inspection and calibration. PCA accreditation elevates the credibility of test results, ensures the reliability of measurements, enhances the reputation of certified activities, and ensures inspected equipment and processes can be relied upon to operate safely and accurately.