Colin
Quite Involved in Discussions
The arguments rumble on about the credibility of some certification bodies. See this article: Certifiers in Argument over Accreditation which was recently issued regarding certification to ISO 14001 in the UK.
The arguments rumble on about the credibility of some certification bodies. See this article: Certifiers in Argument over Accreditation which was recently issued regarding certification to ISO 14001 in the UK.
Unnacredited and pseudo accredited certificates only exist because of ignorance in the market place about the accredited certification process. Only education of customer organizations can prevent valueless certificates from being accepted.
Although this "pseudo" certification bodies are definite issue - on a related note. How to reputable CB's keep track of companies that have let their registrations lapse to ensure that inaccurate marketing doesn't occur?
I have recently had to reject 2 vendors as they claimed they were registered to ISO 9001 only to discover they let their registration lapse and an on-site audit determined that they have completely destroyed the system. The worst part is that they were still marketing that they were registered! Only because I did follow-up did we know any different.
Who is responsible for ensuring that ongoing marketing doesn't continue to advertise this when they are no longer registered? Yes - they were still using the marks of the registrar in both cases!
Although this "pseudo" certification bodies are definite issue - on a related note. How to reputable CB's keep track of companies that have let their registrations lapse to ensure that inaccurate marketing doesn't occur?
I have recently had to reject 2 vendors as they claimed they were registered to ISO 9001 only to discover they let their registration lapse and an on-site audit determined that they have completely destroyed the system. The worst part is that they were still marketing that they were registered! Only because I did follow-up did we know any different.
Who is responsible for ensuring that ongoing marketing doesn't continue to advertise this when they are no longer registered? Yes - they were still using the marks of the registrar in both cases!
Jan, most registrants want to communicate as little as possible with their respective certification bodies, even less with accreditation bodies. Two of the entities that should be promoting the value of the IAF accredited certification are the IAF themselves and the IAAR, in the USA. Who spends time at their websites? I do. But the typical registrant is not only ignorant but totally oblivious to such entities.But, do the legitimate Accreditors and Certification Bodies enough to inform the unaware?
If a CB becomes aware that an organization is misusing their certification mark, they normally start a "cease and desist" effort. But I doubt any CB polices the market looking for such instances.Who is responsible for ensuring that ongoing marketing doesn't continue to advertise this when they are no longer registered? Yes - they were still using the marks of the registrar in both cases!
It is amazing the LACK of VISION by these people.