Difference between revisions of "ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board"

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The '''ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board''' ('''ANAB''') is an international non-profit, non-governmental, independent organization and accrediting body that provides accreditation and training services for numerous types of [[laboratory|laboratories]]. ANAB offers accreditation programs and training courses for the communications, energy, environmental, food and beverage, forensic, and manufacturing industries.<ref name="ANABAccredProgs">{{cite web |url=http://anab.org/programs/industry-specific/ |title=Industry-Specific Accreditation |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="ANABTrainProgs">{{cite web |url=http://anab.org/training/ |title=ANAB Training Courses |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref> Over the years, the organization has also acquired other accrediting organizations such as Forensic Quality Services, Inc. (FQS) and Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B), adding their accreditation programs to ANAB's offerings.<ref name="FQSAcq">{{cite web |url=http://anab.org/news/latest-news/ansi-asq-national-accreditation-board-acquires-fqs/ |title=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board Acquires FQS |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |date=29 November 2011 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="LABAcq">{{cite web |url=http://anab.org/news/latest-news/anab-acquires-l-a-b/ |title=ANAB Acquires Laboratory Accreditation Bureau |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |date=18 December 2015 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref>
The '''ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board''' ('''ANAB''') is an international non-profit, non-governmental, independent organization and accrediting body that provides accreditation and training services for numerous types of [[laboratory|laboratories]]. ANAB offers accreditation programs and training courses for the communications, energy, environmental, food and beverage, forensic, and manufacturing industries.<ref name="ANABAccredProgs">{{cite web |url=https://anab.ansi.org/ |title=ANAB ANSI National Accreditation Board |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref><ref name="ANABTrainProgs">{{cite web |url=https://anab.ansi.org/training |title=ANAB Training Institute |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref> Over the years, the organization has also acquired other accrediting organizations such as Forensic Quality Services, Inc. (FQS) and Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B), adding their accreditation programs to ANAB's offerings.<ref name="FQSAcq">{{cite web |url=https://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/quality-insider-news/ansi-asq-national-accreditation-board-acquires-fqs-112911.html |title=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board Acquires FQS |author=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |work=Quality Digest |date=29 November 2011 |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref><ref name="LABAcq">{{cite web |url=https://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/anab-acquires-laboratory-accreditation-bureau-20052541/ |title=ANAB Acquires Laboratory Accreditation Bureau |author=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |work=Thomas |date=28 December 2015 |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
ANAB's predecessor was the Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB), founded on November 13, 1989<ref name="ANABSingle14">{{cite web |url=http://anab.org/news/latest-news/ansi-asq-national-accreditation-board-to-move-to-single-anab-brand/ |title=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board to Move to Single ANAB Brand |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |date=13 November 2014 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref> as an affiliate of the American Society for Quality Control (ASQC; later just the ASQ) "to develop a program to evaluate the quality of services offered by [quality system] registrars."<ref name="BreitenbergQuest93">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqUgJU9-Z-AC&pg=PA14 |title=Questions and Answers on Quality, the ISO 9000 Standard Series, Quality System Registration, and Related Issues |author=Breitenberg, Maureen |publisher=National Institute of Standards and Technology |year=1993 |isbn=9780788104091 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="StrattonWhat92">{{cite journal |title=What is the Registrar Accreditation Board? |journal=Quality Progress |author=Stratton, John H. |volume=25 |issue=1 |year=1992 |pages=67–69 |url=http://asq.org/qic/display-item/?item=12660 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref> Teaming up with the [[American National Standards Institute]] (ANSI), RAB began development of the American National Accreditation Program for Registrars of Quality Systems sometime between 1990 and December 1991.<ref name="LofgrenReg95">{{cite journal |title=Registrar Accreditation Board: Working to serve U.S. business and industry |journal=Annual Quality Congress |author=Lofgren, George; Fortlage, Pail; Stranak, Barbara et al. |volume=49 |pages=425–433 |year=1995 |url=http://asq.org/qic/display-item/?item=10250 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="BreitenbergQuest93" /> RAB would eventually get certified by the NQA (National Quality Assurance) and begin offering an [[ISO 9000]] auditor certification program in 1992.<ref name="BreitenbergQuest93" /><ref name="CharantimathTotal11">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h7US1hlgV_IC&pg=PA566 |chapter=Chapter 18: Quality Audit |title=Total Quality Management |author=Charantimath, Poornima M. |publisher=Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd |edition=2nd |pages=546–572 |isbn=9788131732625 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref>  
ANAB's predecessor was the Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB), founded on November 13, 1989<ref name="ANABSingle14">{{cite web |url=https://www.ansi.org/news/standards-news/all-news/2014/12/ansiasq-national-accreditation-board-to-move-to-single-anab-brand-15 |title=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board to Move to Single ANAB Brand |author=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |publisher=ANSI |date=13 November 2014 |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref> as an affiliate of the American Society for Quality Control (ASQC; later just the ASQ) "to develop a program to evaluate the quality of services offered by [quality system] registrars."<ref name="BreitenbergQuest93">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqUgJU9-Z-AC&pg=PA14 |title=Questions and Answers on Quality, the ISO 9000 Standard Series, Quality System Registration, and Related Issues |author=Breitenberg, Maureen |publisher=National Institute of Standards and Technology |year=1993 |isbn=9780788104091 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="StrattonWhat92">{{cite journal |title=What is the Registrar Accreditation Board? |journal=Quality Progress |author=Stratton, John H. |volume=25 |issue=1 |year=1992 |pages=67–69 |url=https://asq.org/quality-progress/articles/what-is-the-registrar-accreditation-board?id=73d6c5ab25cc475e8fa6a8a83e3a1883 |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref> Teaming up with the [[American National Standards Institute]] (ANSI), RAB began development of the American National Accreditation Program for Registrars of Quality Systems sometime between 1990 and December 1991.<ref name="LofgrenReg95">{{cite journal |title=Registrar Accreditation Board: Working to serve U.S. business and industry |journal=Annual Quality Congress |author=Lofgren, George; Fortlage, Pail; Stranak, Barbara et al. |volume=49 |pages=425–433 |year=1995 |url=https://asq.org/quality-resources/articles/registrar-accreditation-board-working-to-serve-us-business-and-industry?id=67ec804e077a43fd90dc3b2c8b27a16a |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref><ref name="BreitenbergQuest93" /> RAB would eventually get certified by the NQA (National Quality Assurance) and begin offering an [[ISO 9000]] auditor certification program in 1992.<ref name="BreitenbergQuest93" /><ref name="CharantimathTotal11">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h7US1hlgV_IC&pg=PA566 |chapter=Chapter 18: Quality Audit |title=Total Quality Management |author=Charantimath, Poornima M. |publisher=Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd |edition=2nd |pages=546–572 |isbn=9788131732625 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref>  


Needs changed, however, and RAB was replaced by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board on January 1, 2005. As a partnership between ANSI and the ASQ, the restructuring was done for several reasons: "to comply with a new international requirement that a national accreditation body be a legal entity," and to split off auditor certification and training activities from its original management systems accreditation services.<ref name="ANABSingle14" /><ref name="CharantimathTotal11" /> The organization would later add accreditation services for testing and calibration labs, judged to be missing component by the company, through the acquisition of Assured Calibration and Laboratory Accreditation Select Services (ACLASS) in October 2007.<ref name="ANABHist">{{cite web |url=http://anab.org/about-anab/history/ |title=How and Why ANAB Came to Be |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |date=25 March 2009 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="WangRev10">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z3J8lrFKBJsC&pg=PA15 |title=Reverse Engineering: Technology of Reinvention |author=Wang, Wego |publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton, Florida |year=2010 |pages=357 |isbn=9781439806319 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref> ANAB expanded their laboratory accreditation services further with the acquisition of Forensic Quality Services, Inc. (FQS) in November 2011, expanding into realm of forensic testing and inspection.<ref name="FQSAcq" /><ref name="ANABSingle14" /> However, with all these offerings, the company realized "the use of three different brands has caused confusion in the marketplace." ANAB announced in November 2014 that it would be "operating as a single brand" under the ANAB label beginning in January 2015.<ref name="ANABSingle14" /><ref name="ANABSingle2Vid">{{cite web |url=https://vimeo.com/116691772 |title=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board Moves to the Single ANAB Brand |author=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |publisher=Vimeo, LLC |date=13 January 2015 |accessdate=11 February 2016}}</ref>
Needs changed, however, and RAB was replaced by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board on January 1, 2005. As a partnership between ANSI and the ASQ, the restructuring was done for several reasons: "to comply with a new international requirement that a national accreditation body be a legal entity," and to split off auditor certification and training activities from its original management systems accreditation services.<ref name="ANABSingle14" /><ref name="CharantimathTotal11" /> The organization would later add accreditation services for testing and calibration labs, judged to be missing component by the company, through the acquisition of Assured Calibration and Laboratory Accreditation Select Services (ACLASS) in October 2007.<ref name="ANABHist">{{cite web |url=http://anab.org/about-anab/history/ |title=How and Why ANAB Came to Be |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |date=25 March 2009 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="WangRev10">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z3J8lrFKBJsC&pg=PA15 |title=Reverse Engineering: Technology of Reinvention |author=Wang, Wego |publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton, Florida |year=2010 |pages=357 |isbn=9781439806319 |accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref> ANAB expanded their laboratory accreditation services further with the acquisition of Forensic Quality Services, Inc. (FQS) in November 2011, expanding into realm of forensic testing and inspection.<ref name="FQSAcq" /><ref name="ANABSingle14" /> However, with all these offerings, the company realized "the use of three different brands has caused confusion in the marketplace." ANAB announced in November 2014 that it would be "operating as a single brand" under the ANAB label beginning in January 2015.<ref name="ANABSingle14" /><ref name="ANABSingle2Vid">{{cite web |url=https://vimeo.com/116691772 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206225118/https://vimeo.com/116691772 |title=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board Moves to the Single ANAB Brand |author=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |publisher=Vimeo, LLC |date=13 January 2015 |archivedate=06 February 2016 |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref>


In December 2015, ANAB announced it had made another acquisition, this time agreeing to take on the Accreditation Services Bureau (A-S-B) d.b.a. Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B) in order to expand its testing and calibration laboratory accreditation services. Despite its November 2014 announcement of brand integration, however, ANAB stated that it at least initially "will maintain the L-A-B brand and L-A-B customers will continue to be accredited under the L-A-B symbol."<ref name="LABAcq" />
In December 2015, ANAB announced it had made another acquisition, this time agreeing to take on the Accreditation Services Bureau (A-S-B) d.b.a. Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B) in order to expand its testing and calibration laboratory accreditation services. Despite its November 2014 announcement of brand integration, however, ANAB stated that it at least initially "will maintain the L-A-B brand and L-A-B customers will continue to be accredited under the L-A-B symbol."<ref name="LABAcq" />
On April 22, 2016, ANAB announced yet another acquisition, this time signing "an affiliation agreement with [[The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board]] (ASCLD/LAB), merging ASCLD/LAB into ANAB."<ref name="ANSIANAB16">{{cite web |url=https://www.ansi.org/news/standards-news/all-news/2016/04/anab-and-ascldlab-merge-forensics-operations-22 |title=ANAB and ASCLD/LAB Merge Forensics Operations |publisher=American National Standards Institute |date=22 April 2016 |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref> ANAB stated that with the merger ASCLD/LAB employees would be kept, the ASCLD/LAB brand would be maintained, and "current ASCLD/LAB customers will continue to be accredited under the ASCLD/LAB accreditation symbol."<ref name="ANSIANAB16" />


==Clarification of accreditation offerings==
==Clarification of accreditation offerings==
Per ANAB's decision in 2014 to unify brands, the ACLASS testing and calibration lab accreditation programs and the FQS forensic accreditation lab/crime unit programs were essentially moved under the ANAB accreditation program brand, beginning on January 1, 2015.<ref name="ANABSingle14" /><ref name="ANABSingle2Vid" /> For example, the former FQS ISO/IEC 17020 program is now the ANAB ISO/IEC 17020 Accreditation Program for Forensic Inspection Agencies<ref name="ANAB17020Forensics">{{cite web |url=http://anab.org/programs/isoiec-17020/forensic-inspection-agencies/ |title=ISO/IEC 17020 Accreditation for Forensic Inspection Agencies |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |accessdate=11 February 2016}}</ref>, and the FQS [[ISO/IEC 17025]] program is the ANAB ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation Program for Forensic Testing Laboratories.<ref name="ANAB17025Forensics">{{cite web |url=http://anab.org/programs/isoiec-17025/forensics/ |title=ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation for Forensic Testing Laboratories |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |accessdate=11 February 2016}}</ref>
Per ANAB's decision in 2014 to unify brands, the ACLASS testing and calibration lab accreditation programs and the FQS forensic accreditation lab/crime unit programs were essentially moved under the ANAB accreditation program brand, beginning on January 1, 2015.<ref name="ANABSingle14" /><ref name="ANABSingle2Vid" /> For example, the former FQS ISO/IEC 17020 program is now the ANAB ISO/IEC 17020 Accreditation Program for Forensic Inspection Agencies<ref name="ANAB17020Forensics">{{cite web |url=https://anab.ansi.org/inspection-body-accreditation |title=ISO/IEC 17020 Inspection Body Accreditation: How It Works |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref>, and the FQS [[ISO/IEC 17025]] program is the ANAB ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation Program for Forensic Testing Laboratories.<ref name="ANAB17025Forensics">{{cite web |url=https://anab.ansi.org/en/forensic-accreditation/iso-iec-17025-forensic-labs |title=ISO/IEC 17025 Forensic Accreditation |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref>


The exception to this appears to be the accreditation programs offered by L-A-B, acquired in December 2015. Covering areas of accreditation such as the energy, environmental, food and beverage, forensic science, and manufacturing industries, the L-A-B accreditation programs will remain under the L-A-B brand and symbol.<ref name="LABAcq" /><ref name="LABRecog">{{cite web |url=http://l-a-b.com/about-lab/lab-recognition/ |title=L-A-B Recognition |publisher=Lab Accreditation Bureau |accessdate=11 February 2016}}</ref>
The exception to this appears to be the accreditation programs offered by L-A-B, acquired in December 2015. Covering areas of accreditation such as the energy, environmental, food and beverage, forensic science, and manufacturing industries, the L-A-B accreditation programs will remain under the L-A-B brand and symbol.<ref name="LABAcq" /><ref name="LABRecog">{{cite web |url=http://l-a-b.com/about-lab/lab-recognition/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305224323/http://l-a-b.com/about-lab/lab-recognition/ |title=L-A-B Recognition |publisher=Lab Accreditation Bureau |archivedate=05 March 2016 |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref>


==Accreditation and compliance==
==Accreditation and compliance==
ANAB offers tens of different accreditation programs for laboratories and testing centers, each with their own varying requirements.<ref name="ANABAccredProgsGen">{{cite web |url=http://anab.org/programs/ |title=ANAB Accreditation Programs |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref> Application review, on-site assessments, quality review, and, if necessary, corrective action resolutions are conducted before the final review and accreditation decision. The ANAB website does not make it clear, but the accreditation likely lasts for two years<ref name="ANABOnsite">{{cite web |url=http://search.anab.org/media/34659/fl-contract-guidance-for-labs.pdf |format=PDF |title=Frequently Asked Questions about the Contracting of On-site Assessments |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref> as long as the lab remains compliant and maintains obligations such as notification of significant changes to primary policies, resources, organization, and legal ownership.
ANAB offers tens of different accreditation programs for laboratories and testing centers, each with their own varying requirements.<ref name="ANABAccredProgsGen">{{cite web |url=https://anab.ansi.org/ |title=ANAB Home |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |accessdate=07 January 2016}}</ref> Application review, on-site assessments, quality review, and, if necessary, corrective action resolutions are conducted before the final review and accreditation decision. The ANAB website does not make it clear, but the accreditation likely lasts for two years<ref name="ANABOnsite">{{cite web |url=http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/public-health-laboratories/laboratory-services/environmental-laboratory-certification/env-lab-cert-faq.html |format=PDF |title=Frequently Asked Questions about the Contracting of On-site Assessments |publisher=Florida Health |accessdate=07 January 2022}}</ref> as long as the lab remains compliant and maintains obligations such as notification of significant changes to primary policies, resources, organization, and legal ownership.


After acceptance, ANAB will use the renewal assessment process to ensure a lab's compliance with the body's accreditation standards. In the unusual case of a laboratory failing to pay fees, provide audit and certification staticis, or comply with any of the body's other accreditation requirements, ANAB may choose to place the lab on suspension. Once on suspension, the affected lab must satisfy certain conditions before being able to again operate and eventually be reinstated, though the reinstatement process may vary slightly by infraction or accreditation program.<ref name="ANABRule11">{{cite web |url=http://complaints.anab.org/media/45826/ar11.pdf |format=PDF |title=Accreditation Rule 11 |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |date=01 January 2014 |pages=2 |accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref> In extreme cases of non-compliance, ANAB can also choose to completely withdraw the lab's accreditation.<ref name="ANABSymbol">{{cite web |url=http://search.anab.org/media/2024/aclass-fqs-guidance-symbol-mra-mark-usage.pdf |title=Guidance on Use of the ACLASS and FQS Accreditation Symbol and ILAC Laboratory Combined MRA Mark |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |date=01 August 2012 |accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref>
After acceptance, ANAB will use the renewal assessment process to ensure a lab's compliance with the body's accreditation standards. In the unusual case of a laboratory failing to pay fees, provide audit and certification staticis, or comply with any of the body's other accreditation requirements, ANAB may choose to place the lab on suspension. Once on suspension, the affected lab must satisfy certain conditions before being able to again operate and eventually be reinstated, though the reinstatement process may vary slightly by infraction or accreditation program.<ref name="ANABRule11">{{cite web |url=http://complaints.anab.org/media/45826/ar11.pdf |format=PDF |title=Accreditation Rule 11 |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |date=01 January 2014 |pages=2 |accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref> In extreme cases of non-compliance, ANAB can also choose to completely withdraw the lab's accreditation.<ref name="ANABSymbol">{{cite web |url=http://search.anab.org/media/2024/aclass-fqs-guidance-symbol-mra-mark-usage.pdf |title=Guidance on Use of the ACLASS and FQS Accreditation Symbol and ILAC Laboratory Combined MRA Mark |publisher=ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board |date=01 August 2012 |accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref>{{Broken link}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://anab.org/programs/ ANAB accreditation programs]
* [https://anab.ansi.org/ ANAB accreditation programs]
* [http://anab.org/training/ ANAB training programs]
* [https://anab.ansi.org/training ANAB training programs]
* [http://anab.org/news/newsletter/ ANAB newsletters]
* [http://anab.org/news/latest-news/ ANAB news archive]
* [http://anab.org/about-anab/history/ ANAB History, through 2009]


==References==
==References==

Latest revision as of 00:13, 8 January 2022

The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is an international non-profit, non-governmental, independent organization and accrediting body that provides accreditation and training services for numerous types of laboratories. ANAB offers accreditation programs and training courses for the communications, energy, environmental, food and beverage, forensic, and manufacturing industries.[1][2] Over the years, the organization has also acquired other accrediting organizations such as Forensic Quality Services, Inc. (FQS) and Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B), adding their accreditation programs to ANAB's offerings.[3][4]

History

ANAB's predecessor was the Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB), founded on November 13, 1989[5] as an affiliate of the American Society for Quality Control (ASQC; later just the ASQ) "to develop a program to evaluate the quality of services offered by [quality system] registrars."[6][7] Teaming up with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), RAB began development of the American National Accreditation Program for Registrars of Quality Systems sometime between 1990 and December 1991.[8][6] RAB would eventually get certified by the NQA (National Quality Assurance) and begin offering an ISO 9000 auditor certification program in 1992.[6][9]

Needs changed, however, and RAB was replaced by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board on January 1, 2005. As a partnership between ANSI and the ASQ, the restructuring was done for several reasons: "to comply with a new international requirement that a national accreditation body be a legal entity," and to split off auditor certification and training activities from its original management systems accreditation services.[5][9] The organization would later add accreditation services for testing and calibration labs, judged to be missing component by the company, through the acquisition of Assured Calibration and Laboratory Accreditation Select Services (ACLASS) in October 2007.[10][11] ANAB expanded their laboratory accreditation services further with the acquisition of Forensic Quality Services, Inc. (FQS) in November 2011, expanding into realm of forensic testing and inspection.[3][5] However, with all these offerings, the company realized "the use of three different brands has caused confusion in the marketplace." ANAB announced in November 2014 that it would be "operating as a single brand" under the ANAB label beginning in January 2015.[5][12]

In December 2015, ANAB announced it had made another acquisition, this time agreeing to take on the Accreditation Services Bureau (A-S-B) d.b.a. Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B) in order to expand its testing and calibration laboratory accreditation services. Despite its November 2014 announcement of brand integration, however, ANAB stated that it at least initially "will maintain the L-A-B brand and L-A-B customers will continue to be accredited under the L-A-B symbol."[4]

On April 22, 2016, ANAB announced yet another acquisition, this time signing "an affiliation agreement with The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB), merging ASCLD/LAB into ANAB."[13] ANAB stated that with the merger ASCLD/LAB employees would be kept, the ASCLD/LAB brand would be maintained, and "current ASCLD/LAB customers will continue to be accredited under the ASCLD/LAB accreditation symbol."[13]

Clarification of accreditation offerings

Per ANAB's decision in 2014 to unify brands, the ACLASS testing and calibration lab accreditation programs and the FQS forensic accreditation lab/crime unit programs were essentially moved under the ANAB accreditation program brand, beginning on January 1, 2015.[5][12] For example, the former FQS ISO/IEC 17020 program is now the ANAB ISO/IEC 17020 Accreditation Program for Forensic Inspection Agencies[14], and the FQS ISO/IEC 17025 program is the ANAB ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation Program for Forensic Testing Laboratories.[15]

The exception to this appears to be the accreditation programs offered by L-A-B, acquired in December 2015. Covering areas of accreditation such as the energy, environmental, food and beverage, forensic science, and manufacturing industries, the L-A-B accreditation programs will remain under the L-A-B brand and symbol.[4][16]

Accreditation and compliance

ANAB offers tens of different accreditation programs for laboratories and testing centers, each with their own varying requirements.[17] Application review, on-site assessments, quality review, and, if necessary, corrective action resolutions are conducted before the final review and accreditation decision. The ANAB website does not make it clear, but the accreditation likely lasts for two years[18] as long as the lab remains compliant and maintains obligations such as notification of significant changes to primary policies, resources, organization, and legal ownership.

After acceptance, ANAB will use the renewal assessment process to ensure a lab's compliance with the body's accreditation standards. In the unusual case of a laboratory failing to pay fees, provide audit and certification staticis, or comply with any of the body's other accreditation requirements, ANAB may choose to place the lab on suspension. Once on suspension, the affected lab must satisfy certain conditions before being able to again operate and eventually be reinstated, though the reinstatement process may vary slightly by infraction or accreditation program.[19] In extreme cases of non-compliance, ANAB can also choose to completely withdraw the lab's accreditation.[20]Template:Broken link

External links

References

  1. "ANAB ANSI National Accreditation Board". ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board. https://anab.ansi.org/. Retrieved 07 January 2022. 
  2. "ANAB Training Institute". ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board. https://anab.ansi.org/training. Retrieved 07 January 2022. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (29 November 2011). "ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board Acquires FQS". Quality Digest. https://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/quality-insider-news/ansi-asq-national-accreditation-board-acquires-fqs-112911.html. Retrieved 07 January 2022. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (28 December 2015). "ANAB Acquires Laboratory Accreditation Bureau". Thomas. https://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/anab-acquires-laboratory-accreditation-bureau-20052541/. Retrieved 07 January 2022. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (13 November 2014). "ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board to Move to Single ANAB Brand". ANSI. https://www.ansi.org/news/standards-news/all-news/2014/12/ansiasq-national-accreditation-board-to-move-to-single-anab-brand-15. Retrieved 07 January 2022. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Breitenberg, Maureen (1993). Questions and Answers on Quality, the ISO 9000 Standard Series, Quality System Registration, and Related Issues. National Institute of Standards and Technology. ISBN 9780788104091. https://books.google.com/books?id=gqUgJU9-Z-AC&pg=PA14. Retrieved 10 February 2016. 
  7. Stratton, John H. (1992). "What is the Registrar Accreditation Board?". Quality Progress 25 (1): 67–69. https://asq.org/quality-progress/articles/what-is-the-registrar-accreditation-board?id=73d6c5ab25cc475e8fa6a8a83e3a1883. Retrieved 07 January 2022. 
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