C3.4.6.2 The Benefits of Accreditation
Confidence in the market place and in our public services is essential. Trust is placed in the products and services on offer often without a second thought by the customer, such are the regulations and standards against which products are manufactured and services provided.
… For Government
There are many duties placed on government departments, local authorities and other agencies to ensure that trust is maintained. Whether it be health, water quality, food, consumer goods or transport safety, for example, the public sector provides the framework for the assurance that goods and services are safe and the environment we live in is clean and secure.
UKAS is already in collaboration with a range of government departments that are now developing schemes to either raise standards or implement new ones as a means of increasing public confidence.
Particularly, UKAS can reduce the need for each government department to employ its own specialist assessment resource. Using the accredited route has the advantage of a single transparent and repeatable approach. Over time this should improve consistency, resulting in better risk management. At the same time it should eliminate the cost of reinventing the wheel, thus contributing to the drive for open and modern government.
Accreditation by UKAS can also limit the need for government to regulate industry and the professions. It provides an alternative means of ensuring the reliability of activities that have the potential to impact on public confidence or the national reputation.
UKAS, where requested, assesses organisations and recommends to government their appointment as Notified Bodies as required by EU Directives and Regulations.
… For Business
Companies big and small buy independent evaluations either through choice (to reduce the risk of product failure for example) or as a consequence of legal requirements (such as health and safety regulations). Most commonly these evaluations are calibration of equipment, product testing, inspection of equipment and certification of quality management systems.