BEnefits of 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 Enhances Consumer Safety:
Accreditation creates competitive domestic markets, and facilitates trade for both importers and exporters through the removal of technical barriers. Accredited conformity assessment services also help to prevent or reduce unsafe, unhealthy and environmentally harmful products from entering the marketplace. Consumers benefit from an increased degree of optimism knowing that systems are in place to ensure that products and services meet safety and quality requirements.
Accreditation Promotes Big Business Benefits:
Accreditation creates competitive domestic markets. It also facilitates trade for both importers and exporters through the reduction or removal of technical barriers to trade. Economic development, a key driver of building prosperity, is linked to domestic and cross-border trade. The need to meet regulatory requirements, national standards, trading partner requirements, and consumer needs can be demonstrated through reliable accredited conformity assessment.
Conformity assessment services continually endorse new technologies and support economic and industrial growth, build trade capacities in industries, and ensure that all countries can benefit from international trade and technological progress.
Accreditation Facilitates Global Trade:
JANAAC is the only internationally recognised accreditation body in the English-speaking Caribbean and is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) and the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) Multi-lateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) for the ISO/IEC 17025 (testing laboratories), ISO 15189 (medical testing), ISO/IEC 17020 (inspection bodies) and ISO/IEC 17025 (calibration laboratories) standards. JANAAC is a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and is in the process of seeking IAF MRA recognition for its certification schemes. As a signatory of the ILAC-MRA, JANAAC is peer-evaluated to determine conformance with the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17011:2017 international standard “Conformity Assessment – General Requirements for Accreditation Bodies Accrediting Conformity Assessment Bodies”. The ILAC MRA and IAF MLA are agreements signed by the signatory accreditation bodies to recognise the equivalence of the accreditation programs operated within the scope of their signatory status. The test, inspection and certification certificates/reports from conformity assessment bodies accredited by a MLA or MRA signatory are accepted worldwide.
As a leading accreditation body, JANAAC plays an active role in national quality infrastructure and standardisation Mirror Committees, and regional accreditation initiatives led by the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), aimed at supporting the development of a robust regional quality infrastructure. JANAAC also has representation through its CEO Mrs. Sharonmae S. Walker, on the ILAC and IAAC Executive Committees. Mrs. Walker is Co-Chair of the ILAC and International Accreditation Forum (IAF) Joint Development Support (JDSC) Committee and Vice-Chair of the IAAC.
