About Us – UKAF

About Us

About Us

United Kingdom Accreditation Forum is an independent accreditation authority. It accredits certification bodies and training organizations and also administers an auditor registration scheme. United Kingdom Accreditation Forum is independent, impartial and a model pioneer in the field of accreditation.

Operating in over 25 countries worldwide, United Kingdom Accreditation Forum is thought to be the major independent accreditation body in the world. The organization has been a persistent pioneer in the field of accreditation, well known and respected for its combination of innovative and user-friendly business acumen and its respect for the forceful maintenance of integrity and impartiality that is the hallmark of the quality declaration profession

United Kingdom Accreditation Forum has pioneered novel approaches to accreditation that permit benchmarking via measurable evaluation of conformity assessment body (CAB), performance. We have gone a lot further than just ‘yes’/ ‘No’ in our accreditation procedure. Our objective accreditation reporting permits us to monitor the performance of CABs year on year and delivers us the ability to determine, in detail, the manner in which CABs are achieving the levels of excellence we demand.

Accreditation is a procedure in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.

Accreditation by an independent authority means that when you choose a certification body to review your activities you are choosing someone who has been reviewed against defined standards. You will know that they have their own documented operating system and procedures for looking after your interests. You know that accreditation by United Kingdom Accreditation Forum has provided a level of assurance and recourse that is not normally available to business.

All organizations certificated by United Kingdom Accreditation Forum accredited organizations may be independently verified and their current certification status checked. In addition all clients who have successfully completed UKAF (E) accredited training courses are listed and may be independently verified.

Benefits Of Accreditation

  • Knowing that you are Certifying Body is being constantly monitored.
  • Have recourse to a higher level of authority if required.
  • Know that the Certifying Body operates to defined procedures that are constantly reviewed.
  • Know that you have a balanced level of service that does not compromise your business operations.
  • Knowing that you have someone to turn to if you have a problem with the quality of supplies or products.

For Government

There are many duties placed on government departments, local authorities and other agencies to confirm that trust is maintained. Whether it is 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.

Accreditation by United Kingdom Accreditation Forum 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. United Kingdom Accreditation Forum, where requested, assesses organizations 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, and inspection of equipment and certification of quality management systems.