Almost everyone comes into contact with inspection bodies or the results of their work in their daily lives. Inspection bodies must be accredited by Swedac.
Every day, accredited inspection bodies perform thousands of inspections throughout Sweden. For example, products are inspected before they are put into operation and continuously thereafter to ensure that they remain safe to use. Several regulatory authorities require that inspections be conducted by organizations accredited by Swedac as inspection bodies. For instance, the Swedish Transport Agency requires vehicle inspections, the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning mandates elevator inspections, and the Swedish Work Environment Authority requires inspections of cranes, lifting platforms, and pressurized devices.
Swedac accredits these inspection bodies initially to decide if they can operate their inspection activities and then regularly to ensure that they continue to work according to the requirements and that they are competent to perform the inspections. In addition to national regulations, accredited inspection bodies must also meet the requirements of the global standard for inspection bodies; EN ISO/IEC 17020:2012.
Requirements and guidance documents - Inspection
Requirements to be Met for Accreditation to be Granted:
- SS-EN ISO/IEC 17020:2012 | Conformity Assessment – Requirements for the Operation of Various Types of Bodies Performing Inspection
- STAFS 2020:1 | Swedac’s Regulations and General Guidelines on Accreditation
Instructions and Guidelines for Meeting Accreditation Requirements:
- ILAC G24:2022 | Guidelines for the Determination of Recalibration Intervals of Measuring Equipment
- ILAC P15:05/2020 | Application of ISO/IEC 17020:2012 for the Accreditation of Inspection Bodies
- SWEDAC DOC 01:14 | Assessment of Quality Systems in an Electronic Environment
- SWEDAC DOC 03:9 | Swedac’s Policy on Flexible Scope Accreditation
- SWEDAC DOC 04:2 | Swedac’s Policy for Metrological Traceability, Calibration, and Measurement Uncertainty
- SWEDAC DOC 05:6 | Internal Audits – Guidance for Laboratories and Inspection Bodies
- SWEDAC DOC 06:9 | Swedac’s Policy for the Participation of Accredited Laboratories and Inspection Bodies in Proficiency Testing
- SWEDAC DOC 10:5 | Guidance for Information Security Work
- SWEDAC DOC 12:7 | Guidance on the Use of Scales in Testing Laboratories and Inspection Bodies
- SWEDAC DOC 15:4 | Guidance for the Assessment of Inspection Bodies Against SS-EN ISO/IEC 17020:2012
- SWEDAC DOC 18:2 | Guidance on Measurements Performed as Part of an Inspection Process
- SWEDAC DOC 20:1 | Swedac’s Policy for Referencing Accreditation