International Accreditation Service, Inc.

3060 Saturn Street, Suite 100
Brea, CA 92821 USA
t: 562.364.8201
www.iasonline.org

A TESTING LABORATORY’S INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATIONSERVICE, INC.
Why Accreditation?
Manufacturers, product certifiers and regulators rely on the integrity, reliability and technicalcompetence of testing laboratories for evidence that products are safe and meet the requirements ofcodes and standards. Regulators and the marketplace in general, increasingly insist that test reports befrom accredited testing laboratories. A laboratory’s product—its test report—must be dependable andcarry the mark of an accreditation organization that is independent and that has the safety of the public
as its guiding purpose. Impartiality and concern for public safety are qualities to look for in an organizationthat accredits laboratories, and these are the qualities embodied in International Accreditation Service(IAS).
IAS provides credibility that goes beyond that of most accreditation organizations because IAS isinterested only in quality and technical competence. IAS isn’t the largest accreditation body, just one of
the most experienced and respected. IAS’s international reputation has been built on its high level oftechnical ability and its commitment to public safety.
The IAS laboratory accreditation program is modeled on the international standard ISO/IEC Standard
17025, General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories and isrecognized globally by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and the Asia PacificLaboratory Accreditation Cooperation.
Benefits of IAS Accreditation• IAS accreditation helps testing laboratories meet their clients’ demands for evidence of technicalcompetence. IAS provides you assurance, through accreditation, that testing laboratories have been
evaluated against internationally accepted standards. Importantly, also, the IAS accreditation process isindependent, transparent and dependable.
• IAS is committed to operating a cost-effective laboratory accreditation program that ensures theservices of accredited laboratories are consistent and of high quality.
•IAS accreditation provides proof of compliance with ISO/IEC Standard 17025.

• IAS accreditation is independent and objective, and is based on a transparent accreditation processincorporating open public hearings for development of accreditation criteria for testing laboratories.
• IAS accreditation provides evidence that laboratories render competent and consistent services inline with international standards.

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• IAS places tremendous importance on the training of its assessors. This leads to a high level ofassessor competency and technical expertise.
• With its knowledge base and teams of technical experts, IAS helps to improve the quality of work
performed by its accredited testing and calibration laboratories.
• IAS facilitates proficiency testing and interlaboratory comparisons that laboratories use todemonstrate their technical competence. IAS provides independent feedback concerning a laboratory’s
actual performance and is used as a tool to make improvements.
The Accreditation Process
IAS accredits testing laboratories by verifying technical competence and assessing their management
systems to the international standard ISO/IEC Standard 17025. The process for becoming an IASaccredited testing laboratory begins with the testing laboratory’s submittal of an application, applicable
fees, and management system documentation. An IAS accreditation officer is selected to partner withthe laboratory throughout the accreditation process, beginning with a review of the management systemand the requested scope of accreditation. Once the management system has been reviewed andapproved, IAS selects an assessment team based on the requested scope of accreditation. The
assessment team conducts an on-site assessment of the laboratory and develops an assessment report.
Once a laboratory has satisfied IAS accreditation requirements, compliance with ISO/IEC Standard
17025 and demonstrated technical competence, an accreditation certificate is issued.
About IAS
International Accreditation Service, a subsidiary corporation of the International Code Council,
assesses and accredits testing and calibration laboratories. The IAS testing laboratory accreditation
program is recognized internationally by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)
and the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC)). In operation since 1975, IAS is a nonprofit,
public-benefit corporation and one of the oldest accreditation bodies of its type.
For More Information
To learn more about IAS testing laboratory accreditation, please visit www.iasonline.org, call toll-free
1-866-427-4422, or e-mail info@iasonline.org.

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