Accreditation
ivm has been accredited by the German Accreditation Council (Deutscher Akkreditierungsrat, DAR).Reference number: DAP-ZE 3156.00.
Accreditation is a procedure by which an authoritative body (the accreditation body) gives formal recognition to a testing / calibration laboratory or an accreditation body for being competent to carry out specific tasks. In the case of certification bodies, these tasks are measures that provide reasonable confidence that a product, process or service is in conformity with specific requirements (e.g. the specifications of a standard). The result of the certification of conformity is the certificate of conformity (certificate). For further details contact the German Accreditation Council (Deutscher Akkreditierungsrat, DAR).
The creation of the Single European Market will impart a European dimension to this confidence-creating-measure; for the strategy of eliminating technical obstacles to trade, which the Commission of the European Communities has developed on the basis of the "Global Concept for Certification and Testing", will remain ineffective, if the Member States fail to create confidence in the activities of the test and certification bodies. Accreditation can provide a basis for establishing that confidence and thus a basis for the mutual recognition of test reports, calibration results, certificates for products, management systems and personnel. The Commission of the European Communities therefore has called upon the Member States to establish national accreditation systems in order to harmonize the regulations relating to the accreditation of laboratories and certification bodies engaged in testing, calibration and certification. Regarding mandatory aspects, tests and confirmations (certifications) of the compliance of products, processes and services with the relevant requirements of technical standards are regulated by EU Directives as well as federal or state laws. Laboratories and certification bodies performing such tests and certifications have to prove that they meet defined standards (accreditation) and they will be notified, upon request, by their member states to the Commission of the European Communities as test bodies qualified to perform specified conformity assessment procedures.
In Germany, accreditation bodies have been established for various branches or sectors of industry in the voluntary area. These accreditation bodies coordinate their activities with the Association for Accreditation (TGA, Trägergemeinschaft für Akkreditierung). This sector-related structure of the German accreditation system ensures a high level of competence and expertise in the field of assessment and accreditation. The decision in favour of the sector-related accreditation system is based on the experience gained in Germany in the field of accreditation over many years. In March 1991 the German Accreditation Council (Deutsche Akkreditierungsrat, DAR) was founded as a coordinating body supported by the German industry, the federal government and the state governments. Its task is to establish a transparent, uniform and internationally recognized accreditation system in Germany, both for voluntary and mandatory aspects. Accreditations are not granted by the DAR, but only by the accreditation bodies. The basis for the accreditation is the standard series EN 45011 (excerpts from DAR: Accreditation Bodies in Germany, Preface).