WHAT IS "SUSPENSION OF ACCREDITATION" ?
1. What "suspension of accreditation" means

The standard that accreditation bodies (including JAB) are required to comply with, namely JIS Z 9361(ISO/IEC Guide 61), "General requirements for assessment and accreditation of certification/ registration bodies" , specifies that accreditation bodies must have a procedure for suspending accreditation. Accordingly, JAB defines the suspension of accreditation as follows:

" 'Suspension of accreditation' is to suspend an accredited status for a specified period of time as decided by a committee responsible for decision-making relative to accreditation (such committee referred to in JAB as 'Accreditation Committee'), which shall be lifted to reinstate the accredited status when it has been confirmed that the causes of the suspension have been removed and the Accreditation Committee has approved its reinstatement."


More specifically, where JAB is concerned, "suspension of accreditation" will require the body suspended of accreditation to discontinue its reference to the accredited status and the use of accreditation marks, but will not require the body to suspend its activities.


2. Conditions for the suspension of accreditation

If a body is in any one of the following situations, its accreditation in part or in whole of its scope shall be suspended° JAB R/T/C/CP213-2001 11.1°À:

the body
  1. is found and judged not in conformity with the accreditation criteria of JAB during surveillance, renewal assessment or reassessment specified in the accreditation procedure of JAB;

  2. is found negligent of its obligation to notify/ report to JAB or has made a false notification or report;

  3. refuses, obstructs or challenges JAB to make access allowed by a provision of JAB, or refuses to give any answer, without any justifiable reason, to questions asked based on a provision of JAB, or has made a false statement;

  4. is in default of payment of fees for six months or longer after billing;

  5. has made an intentional misuse of the accredited status or accreditation marks;

  6. is judged by JAB as compromising market confidence in third party conformity assessment schemes; and/or

  7. is in violation of the body°«s obligation defined in the accreditation procedure of JAB in matters other than those specified above.
The decision whether or not any one of the above applies shall be made by the Accreditation Committee as explained above in paragraph 1, which is to say, a finding of nonconformity raised by an accreditation assessment team during surveillance, renewal assessment or reassessment as described in a) does not immediately lead to a suspension.


3. Treatment of assessments made by bodies suspended of their accreditation

A body under suspension of accreditation are not allowed to issue certificates with any accreditation marks of JAB even if the body decides to register organizations after initial registration assessment, renewal assessment or extension assessment. The same is true with the case of approval to continue registration after surveillance carried out during the suspension period, and all certificates, etc. with accreditation marks must be returned.

Furthermore, depending on the reason causing suspension, certificates with accreditation marks shall have to be returned upon decision of the suspension, and certificates, etc. required to be returned may extend to cover also those issued before the suspension.


4. Treatment of accreditation marks during suspension of accreditation

There is a provision in JIS Z 9361 stating, "upon suspension or withdrawal of its certification/ registration (however determined) discontinues its use of all advertising matter that contains any reference thereto and returns any certification/ registration documents as required by the certification/ registration body" , which means that the body is not allowed to use during suspension the accreditation marks of JAB on any name cards, pamphlets, advertisements and others.
This prohibition to use JAB°«s accreditation marks apply also to organizations that returned certificates, etc.


5. Regarding the announcement of suspended status and its reason

JIS Z 9361 specifies about confidentiality that "information about a particular body shall not be disclosed to a third party without the written consent of the body" and therefore, the reason causing suspension cannot be disclosed without the consent in writing of the body concerned.

Therefore, it is the policy of JAB to publish only the fact that the body is suspended of its accreditation together with relevant items in 11.1 of JAB R/T/C/CP213-2001.


6. Treatment after the reinstatement of accredited status

  1. If the cause of suspension affects the outcome of assessment/ certification, the body concerned, after its reinstatement of accreditation, has to carry out reassessment and confirm conformity before it issues certificates, etc. bearing accreditation marks.

  2. If the cause of suspension does not affect assessment/ certification outcome, the body may issue certificates, etc. bearing accreditation marks after its reinstatement of accreditation.


If the accredited status is not reinstated before the end of the suspension period, such accreditation shall be withdrawn. ° JAB R/T/C/CP213-2001 11.2°À


The end.


° Informative°À
JAB R/T/C/CP213-2001 is the "Supplementary procedure for 'Accreditation procedure' ".