The accreditation of an inspection body is an activity to officially approve the competence of an inspection body in certain fields by an accreditation body conforming to relevant laws or international standards in order to improve the credibility of an inspection body. Accreditation decision is made through assessment of its management systems and technical competency by assessors qualified under KS Q ISO/IEC 17020:2014.


Overview
The accreditation of an inspection body is an activity to officially approve the competence of an inspection body in certain fields by an accreditation body conforming to relevant laws or international standards in order to improve the credibility of an inspection body. Accreditation decision is made through assessment of its management systems and technical competency by assessors qualified under KS Q ISO/IEC 17020:2014.

※ “Inspection” is an act to decide whether product design, products, services, processes and facilities meet certain requirements. The term “inspection” includes visual inspection based on experiences and professional judgement of inspectors and “inspection of processes” includes inspections of staff members, facilities, techniques and methodologies.

※ If your organization is preparing to apply for KOLAS inspection body accreditation, please review the latest criteria including KOLAS Regulations on the Accreditation of Testing Laboratories and Inspection Bodies and KOLAS Regulations on the Accreditation and Assessment of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), and inquire to the KOLAS Secretariat about relevant procedures and requirements.
(☏ 043-870-5492, kolasi@korea.kr)


Applicable Documents and Laws
- Relevant Law and Standards
-Framework Act on National Standards
-Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on National Standards
-KOLAS Regulations on the Accreditation of Testing Laboratories and Inspection Bodies
-KOLAS Regulations on the Accreditation and Assessment of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs)
-Guidance on Traceability of Measurement Results
-Guidance on the Estimation and Expression of Measurement Uncertainty
Regulations on Proficiency Testing Schemes
-Guidance on the Use of Accreditation Marks and Claims for Accredited Status
-KOLAS Regulations on Qualifications and Registration of Assessors and Technical Experts
-KS Q ISO/IEC 17020:2014 (ISO/IEC 17020:2012) Requirements for the Operation of Various Types of Bodies performing Inspection
-KS A ISO 80000: Quantities and Units
-KS Q ISO/IEC 17011 (ISO/IEC 17011): Conformity Assessment—Requirements for Accreditation Bodies accrediting Conformity Assessment Bodies
-JCGM 100:2008 (GUM 1995 with Minor Corrections), Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (BIPM, IEC, IFCC, ILAC, ISO, IUPAC, IUPAP and OIML)


Accreditation Fields and Status

Types of Inspection Bodies
Inspection Body Type A (see KS Q ISO/IEC 17020, Annex A) An inspection body providing third party inspections

Inspection Body Type B (see KS Q ISO/IEC 17020, Annex B) An inspection body which forms a separate and identifiable part of an organization involved in the design, manufacture, supply, installation, use or maintenance of the items it inspects and which supplies inspection services only to its parent organization

Inspection Body Type C (see KS Q ISO/IEC 17020, Annex C) An inspection body which forms an identifiable but not necessarily a separate part of an organization involved in the design, manufacture, supply, installation, use or maintenance of the items it inspects and which supplies inspection services to its parent organization or to other parties, or to both