JANAAC ACCREDITATION
The Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC) – established under the Companies Act of Jamaica as a public sector company, limited by guarantee – is an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce.
accreditation schemes
We provide expert and impartial accreditation services to a range of industries, ensuring that goods and services offered to the public meet the highest standards for quality. Accreditation is a recognizable mark of approval that signals to the world that the results produced by accredited conformity assessment bodies can be trusted. The technical training support that we provide to CABs helps to facilitate their effective development and maintenance of quality management systems that conform to the relevant international standards.
Medical Laboratory Accreditation
Testing Laboratory Accreditation
Calibration Laboratory Accreditation
Inspection Body Accreditation
Certification Body Accreditation
FDA Accredited Third Party Certification Program (TPP)
FDA Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Foods (LAAF)
JANAAC TRAINING
Steps Towards Becoming an Accredited CAB
The CAB submits the completed Application Form and Questionnaire, documentation pertaining to the management system and operations of your organization and application fee to JANAAC. The application form is available on the JANAAC website, or may be requested from JANAAC along with the information package. JANAAC will conduct an initial review, inform the CAB of the adequacy of the application documents and request additional information/clarification as necessary;
JANAAC conducts a review of the applicant’s submitted documents and provides a report, including nonconformities for which responses are needed prior to the initial assessment;
Before the initial assessment is conducted, JANAAC provides an estimated cost for the assessment activities. JANAAC’s team of assessors visit the CAB to evaluate its competence through the conformity of its equipment, methods and staff to the requirements for accreditation;
If nonconformities are identified, corrective action(s) are requested and assessors review the actions taken, including via follow-up visits if necessary, to verify the effectiveness of the corrective action implemented by the CAB.
The assessors produce a report on the assessment of the CAB
including a recommendation about whether or not to grant the accreditation. This is reviewed by JANAAC’s Accreditation Evaluation Committee and the Accreditation Council, and a final
decision made whether or not to grant the accreditation;
Upon approval, a licence to use the relevant accreditation symbol(s) and to claim accreditation by JANAAC is granted to the CAB for four years. The Licence Agreement for Conformity Assessment Body Accreditation is signed by a representative of JANAAC and the accredited CAB, and a notice of the accreditation is posted on JANAAC’s website. If accreditation is not granted, the CAB is advised and has the right to appeal;
During the four-year accreditation cycle, three annual surveillance visits are conducted. At the end of the cycle, in the fourth year, a reassessment visit is done, following which re-accreditation may be granted. These visits are conducted to verify the maintenance of the CAB’s scope of accreditation.
Rights & Duties
JANAAC has the right to:
- Deny, withdraw or suspend the accreditation to/of any conformity assessment body (CAB) which does not fulfil the requirements of the relevant standard, the CAB’s written procedures, relevant legislation or JANAAC’s criteria for accreditation;
- Deny, withdraw or suspend the accreditation to/of any CAB where it is proven that the CAB falsified information and/or there is evidence of fraudulent behaviour;
- Require that CAB’s make a formal application for accreditation;
- Assess the CAB’s management system, records, activities etc. as it relates to the scope of accreditation;
- To change the frequency of the surveillance visits depending on the results of other assessments (e.g. in the cases of appeals or complaints);
- To request effective implementation of corrective actions for nonconformities identified from assessment visits or for violations of the terms and conditions of the accreditation and use of the symbol or the accredited CAB combined ILAC MRA mark;
- To publicize infractions by the CAB and, if necessary, take legal or other action to deal with incorrect use of the accreditation, the symbol or the accredited CAB combined ILAC MRA mark by the CAB;
- Ask for and receive in a timely manner any information, records or documents relating to any activities which fall under the CAB’s scope of accreditation;
JANAAC has the duty to:
- Conduct assessments in a fair, competent and impartial manner;
- Keep CAB information and documents confidential, except where the law requires that information be made public;
- Continually fulfill the requirements of the standard which governs the operation of an accreditation body and the mandatory requirements of the IAAC and ILAC, in providing accreditation services;
- Inform CABs about changes in accreditation requirements which may occur based on internationally accepted guidelines and as required by the JANAAC Accreditation Council;
- Require the CAB to make the necessary adjustments to its procedures within an agreed timeline, when accreditation requirements are changed;
- Carry out the required accreditation activities as scheduled;
- Promote the accredited CAB in respect of the CAB’s name, address and accredited services, on the JANAAC website, etc.;
- Allow accredited CAB’s to use the fact of its accreditation and the accreditation symbol or the accredited CAB combined ILAC MRA mark in its advertising, marketing programmes and documents (as it relates to activities which fall under the CAB’s scope of accreditation;
- Allow accredited CAB’s to use the accreditation symbol or the accredited CAB combined ILAC MRA mark only on test reports where 80% or more of the tests are accredited and clearly indicating which activities are accredited;
- Consider the views expressed of CAB’s expressed regarding the precise form and effective date of changes to accreditation requirements;
- Guide CABs, where requested, on how to obtain suitable information regarding traceability of measurement results, in relation to the scope for which accreditation is provide
