Device Quality Management Systems

bodies that provide conformity assessment services. Such accreditation facilitates trade and reduces demand for multiple certification. Accreditation reduces risk for business and its customers by assuring them that accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) are competent to carry out the work they undertake within their scope of accreditation. Accreditation Bodies (ABs) which are members of IAF and their accredited CABs are required to comply with appropriate international standards and IAF mandatory documents for the consistent application of those standards. AB members of the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) conduct regular evaluations of each other to assure the equivalence of their accreditation programs. The IAF MLAs operate at two levels: • The accreditation of CABs to standards including ISO/IEC 17021 for management systems certification bodies, ISO/IEC 17024 for personnel certification bodies and ISO/IEC Guide 65 for product certification bodies, is considered a framework MLA. A framework MLA provides confidence that accredited CABs are equally reliable in the performance of conformity assessment activities