Tue, 20 February, 2024
Many of our scheme documents, website pages, social media posts, and literature, will mention TWI Certification Ltd’s (TWI CL) accreditation from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to ISO/IEC 17024 – Conformity assessment: General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons. But what does that mean?
According to UKAS, “Accreditation determines the technical competence, reliability and integrity of [Certification Bodies]. It spans all aspects of our everyday lives to provide confidence that accredited organisations are competent and can be trusted to deliver promised levels of performance and protection for the products and services we rely on.”[1]
So what does TWI CL have to do to gain maintain its accreditation? Over a four-year cycle, TWI CL will undergo an annual surveillance, as well as a reassessment audit at the four year point. Then each year it will undergo two to three witness assessments across all its accredited schemes – from welding inspection to NDT each one will get an in-depth review by a UKAS auditor who is technically competent (i.e., they hold the relevant certification and/or have the relevant experience) to ensure compliance with ISO/IEC 17024 as well as any other relevant standards, e.g. ISO 9712 Non-destructive testing: Qualification and certification of NDT personnel.
By being accredited, TWI CL provides confidence to stakeholders that those individuals who have successfully gained the relevant certifications have been held to an established standard and level of quality throughout their certification process.
UKAS accredited certifications are a testament to the reliability of the individuals employed, whether they are conducting welding inspection or non-destructive testing (NDT), ensuring that they are capable of undertaking the role specific competences of the certification – no matter where in the world they are based.
For employers, the benefits of utilising certified individuals includes reducing costs, improving operations, and in many cases, mitigating risks. While certificate holders can be assured that the certification they have chosen to attain is managed, processed, and awarded to the same high standard, no matter when or where they attained it. For the wider industry, and general public, it builds confidence in the standards and quality initiatives of TWI CL.
[1] UKAS (no date) "What is Accreditation". Available at: https://www.ukas.com/accreditation/ (Accessed on: 21/02/24)