OUR ACCREDITATION

At a glance

Certification body accreditation

EAS is accredited by JAS-ANZ against ISO/IEC 17021-1 for the QMS, EMS, OH&S, ISMS and FSMS schemes. For these five standards, EAS carries out the whole process (application review, audit, certification decision) and issues the certificate, including for clients who come to us through IAS. See our certification process.

International recognition

JAS-ANZ is a signatory of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). That signatory status is what carries a JAS-ANZ accredited certificate beyond Australia and New Zealand.

All other standards and product certification

IAS, our group concern (technical partner), is accredited by UQAS for management-system certification, product certification and training schemes. Standards outside the five above, and all product certification, are certified by IAS, which issues the certificate under its UQAS accreditation.

Training

EAS is an Approved Training Partner of CQI and IRCA and delivers all training for both EAS and IAS. Lead auditor courses are CQI-IRCA certified; internal auditor and foundation courses are EAS courses. EAS issues the certificates of completion. See the training schedule.

What JAS-ANZ accreditation means

JAS-ANZ is the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand, the accreditation body appointed by the governments of both countries. It assesses certification bodies against ISO/IEC 17021-1, the international standard that sets out the competence, consistency and impartiality requirements for bodies that audit and certify management systems.

What this means for your certificate:

• Independent oversight. Our audits, auditors and certification decisions are checked by JAS-ANZ, not just by us.
• Competent, impartial auditors. ISO/IEC 17021-1 requires that the people auditing you are qualified for your sector and free of conflicts of interest. Read our impartiality policy.
• Credibility with customers and tenders. An accredited certificate carries weight with buyers, regulators and tender boards that an unaccredited one does not.

The schemes in our accredited scope

Why the IAF signature matters

An accreditation body’s authority stops at its own borders unless other accreditation bodies agree to recognise it. The International Accreditation Forum is the arrangement through which they do. JAS-ANZ is a signatory, which is the mechanism that lets a certificate issued under JAS-ANZ accreditation be recognised in other countries by parties who have no direct knowledge of JAS-ANZ. This IAF recognition applies to the EAS certificates issued under JAS-ANZ accreditation.

What CQI-IRCA approval means

The Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) and the International Register of Certificated Auditors (IRCA) operate the scheme under which auditor training courses are certified. EAS is an Approved Training Partner and delivers CQI and IRCA certified lead auditor courses, for delegates who come through both EAS and IAS.

The distinction that matters is what the scheme certifies. CQI-IRCA does not accredit certification bodies and does not certify organisations. It certifies courses: their syllabus, their materials, the competence of the tutors and the assessment a delegate has to pass. A delegate who completes a certified lead auditor course has completed training that meets the scheme’s requirements for that purpose.

CQI-IRCA certified lead auditor courses

Lead auditor courses for ISO 50001, ISO 15189, AS 9100 and IATF 16949 are EAS courses and are not CQI-IRCA certified.

The IAS route and UQAS accreditation

IAS is accredited by Universal Quality Accreditation Service (UQAS) for management-system certification schemes, product certification and training. For standards outside the EAS JAS-ANZ scope, and for product certification, IAS carries out the certification and issues the certificate under its UQAS accreditation. These include, among others:

Certification for these standards is accredited by JAS-ANZ, and training is a separate EAS service. We confirm the route in writing before you sign.

If you are unsure whether your standard is covered, ask us before you contract. It is a fair question, and we would rather answer it early than late.

Our Branches

How to check any of this yourself

• The accredited-bodies register. JAS-ANZ publishes a public register of the bodies it accredits and the scope of each. It is the fastest way to confirm what anybody claims, including us. View the EAS entry on the JAS-ANZ register.
• Check a certificate we have issued. Use our certificate search to confirm a certificate is genuine and current.
• Ask which body issues the certificate. Before you contract, ask for the issuing body and the accreditation in writing. A straight answer takes one sentence.
• Know how to raise a concern. Our appeals, complaints and disputes process is published, as ISO/IEC 17021-1 requires.
• Know which course you are booking. EAS lead auditor courses are CQI-IRCA certified. Internal auditor and foundation courses are EAS courses, with certificates issued by EAS.