WAD 2017
Accreditation Day
Every year the World Accreditation Day (WAD), a global initiative jointly established by the International Accreditation Forum - IAF and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation - ILAC, is celebrated on 9th June to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation-related activities.
This year’s theme focuses on delivering confidence in construction and the built environment. To help explain the use of accredited conformity assessment, the Public Sector Assurance website www.publicsectorassurance.org has been established by IAF, ILAC, ISO and IIOC to showcase different global examples where accreditation has been used to support construction and the built environment. Public Sector Assurance showcases how accredited conformity assessment is used around the world by central government, local government and regulators to deliver positive benefit. To illustrate the value of conformity assessment, case studies from around the world in key policy areas show how different tools help government officials and regulators deliver results. The website covers the following topics: Construction, Crime and Security, Economic Development, Efficient Delivery of Public Services, Energy, Environmental Protection, Food Safety and Agriculture, Health and Safety, Healthcare, Products and Services, Trade.
Delivering confidence in construction and the built environment
Joint Statement
by Xiao Jianhua, Chair IAF, and Merih Malmqvist Nilsson, Chair ILAC
Accreditation: Delivering Confidence in construction and the built environment
World Accreditation Day 2017 focuses on how accreditation delivers confidence in construction and the built environment.
Standards, conformity assessment and accreditation are wellestablished and accepted tools that are used to support the construction industry, building owners and operators from contractors to manufacturers, designers and architects, to structural and civil engineers. They are also used by policy makers, local authorities and regulators to support construction based
regulation, environmental protection, public safety, fraud prevention, public trust and innovation.
The building sector is important for economic development, employment creation and the environment. In less developed economies, existing commercial and domestic properties, as well as infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and transport networks, tend to be highly vulnerable to climate and disaster risk. In more developed economies, construction is a complex and highly competitive sector, which provides challenges for companies seeking to improve margins, and reduce costs whilst improving build quality, ensuring a safe environment on site and delivering increasingly sustainable buildings. The digital revolution is also reaching the construction sector with Building Information Modelling for the design of structures, to the embedding of smart and connected technology in construction components.
Construction supply chains are being impacted by the pace of urbanisation, technological advances in manufacturing and construction techniques, environmental pressures, changes in
design preferences, and evermore globalisation of supply chains.
Given these factors, it is critical that the public have confidence in the safety, security, and sustainability of construction projects and the built environment. Accreditation provides this confidence by providing a system that supports the management of risk, helps drive efficiency, and demonstrates compliance with national or local regulation. Accredited testing, calibration, inspection and certification provide suppliers, purchasers and specifiers with assurance that construction projects run efficiently, construction sites are safe and reliable materials are used. They also provide Government and Regulators with reliable evidence that completed projects meet regulatory compliance, and existing buildings continue to be safe to use.
Accreditation covers many disciplines throughout the building supply chain. Laboratories are accredited to test construction product and raw materials, geotextiles, engineering materials, machinery and structures, acoustics, and air leakage testing. Calibration laboratories specialise in acoustics, dimensional, mass, density, volume, force, torque, hardness, electrical, pressure, flow, temperature and humidity calibration.
Accredited certification of Quality, Environmental, Occupational Health & Safety, and Energy Management Systems ensure that construction companies have the appropriate controls and
processes in place to deliver projects efficiently, control their environmental impact and energy efficiency, and deliver a safe working environment.
Inspection bodies carry out construction-related activities such as welding and welding procedures, pressure vessels, piping, and gas, electrical safety, lifting equipment and the carriage of dangerous goods. Accreditation also covers inspection services in areas such as asbestos surveying and legionella risk assessments.
A brochure giving more details of how accreditation delivers confidence in construction and the built environment is available for download from the IAF and ILAC websites.
Major events, press and television coverage, workshops and seminars will take place in conjunction with the celebration of World Accreditation Day in over 100 countries to raise awareness of the value that accreditation plays in the construction sector. For further details, contact your local accreditation body.
Further case studies, research and support material is available at www.publicsectorassurance.org .
For further information please visit http://ilac.org/, whereas a promotional brochure to celebrate the day is available for download from http://ilac.org/media-centre/world-accreditation-day/.