Inspection bodies
Accredited activity
Inspection
Description of the activity
The inspection body is responsible for conducting conformity assessments of the items inspected. The items to be inspected may fall into the following categories:
• Products, understood as the result of one or more processes
• Processes, understood as a set of related or interacting activities that transform inputs into outputs
• Services, understood as the result of an activity necessarily performed at the interface between the supplier and the customer, which is generally intangible
Conformity assessments can generally be conducted with respect to regulations, standards, specific technical specifications, inspection plans, or customer/client contracts. Specifically, they can be based either on the conformity of the characteristics of the item inspected to given specifications, or on professional judgment with respect to general requirements. General requirements are those requirements that, due to their variability and number, cannot be included in a single document.
The inspection body must always ensure it possesses the necessary expertise and know-how to carry out its inspection tasks.
Given that all inspections must be conducted impartially, inspection bodies can be divided into three types based on their organizational independence:
- Type A: an inspection body that performs exclusively conformity assessment activities and is therefore a third-party body.
- Type B: an inspection body is a separate and identifiable part of an organization and operates solely for its parent organization.
- Type C: an inspection body is an identifiable, but not necessarily separate, part of an organization and may perform activities for both the parent organization and other organizations.
An inspection body that assesses products and services through European conformity assessment procedures to the safety requirements set by the European “New Approach” Directives must obtain accreditation as a prerequisite for authorization by the national government authority and notification to the European Commission.
An inspection body that verifies instruments used for legal measurement functions must obtain accreditation as a prerequisite for submitting a SCIA (Certificate of Conformity with the European Commission) to UNIONCAMERE.
Accreditation standards
ISO/IEC 17020
Conformity assessment — Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection
Document issued
The validity of inspections is certified by the inspection report, issued by the inspection body that performed the assessment.
What the report guarantees
The inspection report describes/captures the condition of the inspected object at the time the inspection was performed, in relation to defined specifications or general requirements.
What the report does NOT guarantee
The inspection report does not guarantee that the same result can be obtained at a later date.
Other Regulations for accreditation
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RT-07
Requirements for the accreditation of Type A, B and C Inspection Bodies against UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17020 standard in the construction sector (rev.03) -
RT-07
Requirements for the accreditation of Type A, B and C Inspection Bodies against UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17020 standard in the construction sector (rev.04) -
RT-37
Directives for accreditation with flexible scope, Certification and Inspection Bodies Department -
RT-39
Requirements for participation in proficiency testing (PT) and/or interlaboratory comparisons (ILC)
Complete list of standards and reference documents for accreditation
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LS-03
List of reference standards and documents for the accreditation of Inspection Bodies
Accreditation pricelist
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TA-00
Accreditation Pricelist
Circulars of Accredia
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LS-14
List of Informative and Technical Circulars of Certification and Inspection Department