ANAB has strengthened our mission by increasing our portfolio of recognized accreditation services for the conformity assessment community with 71 Scopes and Sub-Scopes of recognition through the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) and the Inter-Americas Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) Mutual/Multilateral Recognition Arrangements (MRA/MLA). We've reached a strategic milestone as the most recognized accreditation body in the world, and our first-tier recognition gives stakeholders confidence when they have questions or need a path to navigate the complexities of conformity assessment.
Vice President, Conformity Assessment Strategy
Vice President, Policy
ANAB held its Annual Assessor Development Conference at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas, in January 2023, hosting 198 assessors representing 13 different countries. Over the 4-day event, ANAB staff prepared 21 separate training sessions and workshops for the assessors to collaborate and exchange knowledge and experiences. Assessment methodologies, criteria, and techniques are calibrated between the assessors and staff to better service our customers and the conformity assessment stakeholders. Alongside the assessor development, ANAB held a series of public training sessions on quality in forensic analysis and general conformity assessment criteria. Our next Assessor Development Week will be held in January 2024 in Aurora, Colorado.
Enhancing efforts to protect consumers from unsafe food, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ANAB for product and management system certification body accreditation programs under the Food Safety and Modernization Act. FDA also recently approved ANAB’s laboratory accreditation program under the Lab Accreditation for Analysis of Foods program.
ANAB expanded its Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) status to include ISO/IEC 17029 Validation/Verification (VV), with a sub-scope of ISO 14065, building on more than 15 years of experience in environmental information accreditation.
Properly controlling property and evidence is a duty of critical importance to the entire criminal justice process, but often falls on local law enforcement to execute. How can they be sure they are properly identifying, tracking, and securing these items, retaining appropriate records, and appropriately monitoring personnel? ANAB launched an accreditation program specifically designed to address these concerns, minimize organizational risk, and support this vital work. ANAB also published Accreditation Requirements for the Management and Operation of Property and Evidence Control Units.
ANAB is a founding member of the recently established North America Accreditation Forum (NAAF), a nonprofit organization formed by North American Accreditation Bodies to support regional and global conformity assessment. ANAB is proud to aid in NAAF's vision to promote the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and views on conformity assessment and accreditation in support of the principles of the World Trade Organization and the United States, Mexico, and Canada Free Trade Agreement.
ANAB is responding to a rapidly changing business environment by expanding its remote assessment services and carrying out a robust digital transformation strategy to benefit its clients and customers.
A newly redesigned website, expected to launch in 2023, will create an engaging new experience for users, providing even quicker and easier access to accreditation and training opportunities.
Rob Dye was the recipient of ANAB’s fifth annual Terry Burgess Assessor of the Year Award, which recognizes outstanding service by an ANAB contract assessor for exemplary customer service, teamwork, creativity and innovation, performance excellence, leadership, and commitment.
