As one of the first Certification Bodies to achieve UKAS accreditation for ISO 9001:2015, British Assessment Bureau’s attention immediately turned to attaining the same result for ISO 14001:2015, the international standard for establishing an effective Environmental Management System (EMS), at the end of 2015.
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) holds the exclusive government appointment from the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (formerly part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) to accredit certification bodies throughout the United Kingdom. As the only organisation with this mandate, UKAS has established itself as the foremost authority in ISO standards certification.
During the process of ISO 14001:2015 accreditation, Keith Goddard, Head of Compliance at the time, said:
“We wanted to give clients the opportunity to stand out from their competitors with the option to be one of the first to achieve certification to the new 2015 standard, so it’s great to see that almost 70% of clients have opted to transition as soon as possible. This justifies our investment in being one of the first Certification Bodies to begin the UKAS accreditation process.”
British Assessment Bureau made significant progress in achieving UKAS accreditation, following a rigorous process to ensure our operations aligned with the required high standards.
After successfully completing the necessary office-based preparations, the final phase of the accreditation involved UKAS representatives witnessing client audits to confirm that best practices were being consistently applied.
Upon achieving accreditation, British Assessment Bureau were able to issue UKAS-accredited ISO 14001 certificates and certification badges featuring the prestigious ‘crown and tick’ logo. This new capability offered clients an opportunity to distinguish themselves in the marketplace.
This means that our organisation successfully demonstrates competence under ISO/IEC 17021-1 (requirements for certification bodies). Following this, we were, and continue to be, subject to regular UKAS surveillance and recertification audits to maintain our accreditation.
For organisations seeking ISO 14001 certification, our UKAS accreditation provides the assurance that our certification process is rigorous, competent, and recognised by government bodies and industry stakeholders.
The accreditation journey prompted a comprehensive review of our certification procedures, leading to numerous improvements that benefited both new and existing clients.
British Assessment Bureau is UKAS-accredited to provide certification for additional standards, including:
See our full range of globally recognised certifications.
At this time, British Assessment Bureau also remained active in QS/1 committees, which contribute to ISO standards development in the UK. Through this involvement, we continue to advocate for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the goal of keeping Management System Standards practical and accessible for smaller businesses in order to reflect their realities and requirements.
Discover more about our UKAS accreditation.
Read our Ultimate Guide to ISO 14001 and discover everything you need to know about the standard.
Is your organisation considering ISO 14001 certification? Request a free quote or contact our helpful team.
