Quality Registrars and Registration Services

Quality registrars and registration services certify that a company’s quality management system meets specific industrial standards. Management system registrars perform pre-assessments and gap assessments, define corrective action plans, and perform final assessments and registration. They certify that a company’s quality management system meets specific industrial standards such as AS9000, ISO 9001:2000, ISO 13485/8, ISO 14001, ISO/TS 16949:2002, ISO 17025, OHSAS 18001, QS-9000, RC 14001, RoHS, SA 8000, and TL 9000. Quality registrars and registration services also provide continuous assessments or audits for conformity / compliance and maintenance of the company’s registration status. Quality system registrars and certification bodies (CB) may also provide training to help companies develop quality manuals and document internal procedures. A company’s industrial sector or market determines the necessary registrations and certifications. 

Quality registrars and registration services certify compliance with standards and technical specifications from the International Standards Organization (ISO), a global certification body (CB). Examples of ISO certifications include: ISO 7779,  ISO 9000 (1994), ISO 9001:2000, ISO 13485, ISO 14000, ISO 17020, and ISO 17025. ISO 9001:2000 establishes the requirements for a company’s quality management system. This ISO standard covers a variety of activities and has replaced the older, 1994 ISO 9000 standard. ISO 1345/8 outlines quality-system requirements for suppliers of medical devices. ISO 14000 refers to a family of ISO standards that includes: ISO 14000:1996, ISO 14001:1996, and ISO 14004:1996. ISO 14000:1996 contains basic vocabulary and definitions. ISO 14001:1996 contains the quality system requirements. ISO 14004:1996 contains guidelines for environmental management systems. ISO/TS 16949:2002 is an ISO technical specification that aligns existing American (QS-9000), German (VDA6.1), French (EAQF) and Italian (AVSQ) automotive quality systems standards for the global automotive industry. ISO 17025 outlines the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. 

Quality registrars and registration services can certify compliance with the AS9000, RC 14001, OHSAS 18001, SA 8000, and TL 9000 standards. AS9000 is a set of quality guidelines and requirements published by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in cooperation with major aerospace manufacturers. AS9000 is based on ISO 9001, but maintains a particular focus on the aerospace industry. RC 14001 is a technical specification from the American Chemistry Council (ACC) for environmental and health and safety. OHSAS 18001 is an occupational health and safety assessment system (OHSAS) that is loosely based in ISO 14001:1996. SA8000 is an international standard for assessing the social accountability of companies. It outlines auditing requirements for the evaluation of workplace conditions. TL 9000 defines quality system requirements for suppliers of telecommunications hardware, software and services. The Quality Excellence for Suppliers of Telecommunications Leadership or QuEST forum developed the TL 9000 requirements by using ISO 9000 as a baseline.

Quality registrars and registration services have various accreditations. In North America, accreditations are available from the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB), Industry Canada, and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). In Europe, quality registrars and registration services have accreditations from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA), a CB from the Netherlands. Notified or competent body accreditation indicates that a quality registrar, registration service, or certifying body is  recognized for meeting  product testing requirements according to SWEDAC, EN, ISO, ISO/IEC or other European organizations or standards bodies. Registrar accreditations also include InMetro (Brazil), JAB (Japan), KETI (Korea), and METI (Japan).

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