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When a third party assesses whether specific products and/or processes conform to the requirements of specific standards and issues a certificate, it is known as "assessment and registration". The term "certification" is also very often used. There are schemes for registration bodies to assess the quality management systems (QMS) or the environmental management systems (EMS) of companies and organizations against the requirements of the ISO 9000 series of standards or ISO 14001. If organizations or companies are assessed as in conformity, they will be registered by the conformity assessment body and the registration will be publicly announced. Such schemes are called "management system registration schemes".
The quality/ environmental management system registration schemes consists of the following four major functions:
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 Assessing and registering companies and organizations and releasing the information
This is one of the functions of registration body (RB, see Note 1 of Figure 1.). The RB uses registered assessors to check the conformity of management systems against standards. If the organization or company is assessed as conforming, it will be registered and the information will be publicly released.
 Accrediting registration bodies and releasing the information
This is one of the functions of JAB. JAB assesses and accredits the registration bodies. Accreditation confirms that the RB is in conformity with the requirements of standards concerning their technical competency, impartiality, organizational stability etc. with regard to their assessment and registration (certifying) of companies and organizations. JAB publicly releases information on the accreditation status of management systems registration bodies.
 Accrediting assessor certification bodies and releasing the information
This is one of the functions of JAB. JAB accredits the assessor certification bodies (CB) tha QMS or EMS assessors. CBs are accredited as competent to certify that assessors have satisfied the prescribed qualifications and requirements for a management systems assessor and have completed a training course provided by an accredited assessor training body (see below). JAB publicly releases infot evaluate and register individuals who have demonstrated their competence asrmation on the accreditation status of assessor certification bodies.
 Accrediting assessor training bodies and releasing the information
This is one of the functions of JAB. JAB accredits assessor training bodies (TB) and makes a public announcement that the TB is accredited as competent to provide training to those aspiring to be certified as assessors of conformity to management system standards.
Management system registration schemes are voluntary and operate in the private sector. JAB is responsible for the functions outlined in , and above and is called an "Accreditation Body" (see Figure 1).
In response to requests from many parties concerned, including the industries that initiated the establishment of JAB, JAB also publishes a listing of all conforming organizations and companies that have been certified by the QMS and EMS registration bodies that are accredited by JAB. Accreditation of registration bodies is, however, restricted to a specific accreditation scope* that is in conformity with the accreditation criteria. JAB's public listing therefore covers only the organizations or companies that are registered within the accredited scope of the registration body.
*Note: Accreditation scope is expressed by the classified sectors of economic activities for which registrations are made. JAB has identified 39 such sectors. For details, please see "JAB R 310-1994, Revision 1, Comparison Table of Accreditation Scopes of Registration Bodies (Sectors 1 through 39) and the Classification of Economic Activities (Informative reference) " contained in the "Collection of Accreditation Criteria for the Quality System Registration Scheme" issued by JAB.
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Registration Scheme and