Conformity Assessment

Conformity Assessment:

The process of demonstrating the essential features about a product or services which meet the requirement of standards, regulations and other specification is called conformity assessment. A variety of PROCESSES involved in verifying that goods/services meet acceptable voluntary or mandatory standards such as Testing , Surveillance, Inspection, Assessment, Auditing, Certification and Registration.

Objectives of Conformity Assessment are to:

• Ensure the conformance of products/services with relevant standards (ISO, IEC/BIS etc);

• Encourage international trade (tries to check trade malpractices);

• Prevent sale of substandard/unsafe product;

• Prevent importation of substandard products;

• Save lives and property;

• Prevent pollution of air and water;

• Conserve hard-earned foreign exchange.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) states that ISO itself has no authority to control conformity assessment activities, whether these are business activities by its members or by other organizations. Further, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) states that private sector organizations may perform conformity assessment services as a commercial activity or regulatory bodies under a mandate may perform these services when ISO standards have been incorporated into public legislation, the aim of which is to create confidence among suppliers and their clients.