The U.S. laboratory accreditation system is different from that of most foreign countries. The majority of foreign accreditation bodies are public organizations or organizations with some direct government involvement. There is also a growing tendency in foreign countries to run national laboratory accreditation schemes in a coordinated fashion. In the United States, laboratory accreditation schemes are operated by all levels of government and by the private sector. No centralized coordinating body exists, though some coordination does take place between specific programs on their own initiative or through the intervention of other interested bodies, such as government agencies, trade associations or professional societies. This lack of coordination may be reduced as NACLA's and NELAC's work progresses.

The different types of U.S. programs are:

The U.S. system for conformity assessment is complex, multifaceted and comprised of many diverse activities including: testing, certification, management system registration, accreditation and accreditation program recognition. While each of these activities is a distinct operation, they are closely interrelated. The inclusion or absence of any of these activities, as well as the quality with which any one of them is performed, can have a significant effect on the confidence and reliance that can be placed on the results of the entire conformity assessment process. In addition, standards, which underlie each of these activities, can also have a major impact on the outcome of a specific conformity assessment activity as well as a cumulative effect on the entire process.

Standards and conformity assessment activities together impact almost every aspect of life in the United States. Conformity assessment is an important marketplace communications device -- a means of exchanging information between buyer and seller. It is therefore important for buyers, sellers, and other interested parties to understand the conformity assessment process to competently judge the value of a particular assessment scheme and to use the information resulting from that scheme to make intelligent choices. The quality of the information conveyed depends on: the impartiality and competence of the assessment body; the types of assessment activities included in the scheme; and the adequacy and appropriateness of the standards against which the product is evaluated.

Conformity assessment may result in widespread buyer deception if the performance characteristics or test methods contained in a standard are insufficient to ensure adequate product performance or if the buyer is misinformed as to the competence of the conformity assessment body or the extent to which the product characteristics have been evaluated. If properly conducted, however, conformity assessment can furnish valuable information to the marketplace and can serve as the basis for increased or diminished opportunities for national and international trade.

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