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Complete collection of ISO/IEC standards and guides for certification and inspection bodies now available on CD

2007-10-04

The complete current collection of ISO/IEC conformity assessment standards and guides for use by certification and inspection bodies is now available on CD.

The ISO/IEC Pack Conformity Assessment – Certification and inspection bodies, contains 14 standards and guides, including those necessary for the certification of various management systems. The best-known examples are the certification of quality management systems (ISO 9001) and environmental management systems (ISO 14001).

The CD includes ISO/IEC 17021:2006 which provides the general requirements for bodies operating assessment and certification of management systems.

It also contains ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996, General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems, although this standard is currently undergoing revision. This revision will become the new ISO/IEC 17065 standard which may be used in combination with a number of related product standards and guides to demonstrate that a product complies with specified criteria.

Conformity assessment is the process used to demonstrate that products, services, management systems (MS), personnel and organizations meet specified requirements. The use of ISO/IEC standards and guides on conformity assessment procedures allows for harmonization of good practice-based processes throughout the world.

This in turn not only facilitates international trade between countries, but also facilitates trade within countries by giving the purchaser of the product or service confidence that it meets the requirements.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) work together on standards and guides on conformity assessment within ISO/CASCO, the ISO policy development committee on conformity assessment.

ISO/CASCO has developed a "toolbox" of 26 standards and guides which addresses all of the activities involved in conformity assessment. To help organizations to identify and implement the standards and guides applicable to their activities, ISO and IEC is developing a series of three CDs – ISO/IEC Packs. Each will contain all the relevant standards and guides for main branches of conformity assessment activity. The just released ISO/IEC Pack for certification and inspection bodies will be followed by CDs containing the standards and guides for accreditation bodies, and for laboratories and/or inspection bodies.

ISO/IEC Pack Conformity Assessment – Certification and inspection bodies costs 874 Swiss francs is available from ISO national member institutes (see complete list with contact details) and from the ISO Central Secretariat through the ISO Store or by contacting the Marketing & Communication department (see right-hand column).

More info.: List of CASCO standards and guides