ANSI and the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board to Host Free Webinar in Celebration of World Accreditation Day 2014

NEW YORK, May 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board will hold a free webinar to mark World Accreditation Day 2014, a global celebration promoted each year by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). ANSI and the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board are presenting the webinar to inform a broad audience of stakeholders about the many benefits of accreditation.

World Accreditation Day is a global initiative jointly established by IAF and ILAC to raise awareness of the value of accreditation-related activities. Each year on June 9, IAF and ILAC invite their national representatives from around the world to mark the occasion with dedicated celebrations that honor and communicate the important role accreditation plays in the global standards and conformance community.

The webinar will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT on World Accreditation Day, Monday, June 9, 2014. Speakers will be:

• Lane Hallenbeck, vice president, accreditation services, ANSI; chair, International Organization for Standardization Conformity Assessment Committee (ISO CASCO)
• Keith Greenaway, vice president, ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board
• Mike Violette, president, ACB, Inc
• William S. Hurst, chief, U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Technical Research Branch, Laboratory Division
• Eamon Monahan, program manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star Program
• John F. Schulz, director of business operations, Safe Quality Food (SQF) Institute
• Benjamin Goldstein, project manager, U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines Project

Speakers will discuss how international standards and related conformity assessment accreditation activities can support the work of a wide variety of organizations in different fields and sectors. Participants will have the opportunity to take part in a question-and-answer session following the panel discussion.

Online registration for the June 9 webinar is currently available. For more information about World Accreditation Day 2014, view a video about the event on the IAF and ILAC YouTube channel, or visit the ILAC and IAF websites.

This year's global celebration of World Accreditation Day highlights the important role accreditation bodies play in supporting the safe, effective, and environmentally sustainable operation of laboratories and certification and inspection bodies associated with the energy sector. The multinational nature of oil, gas, and coal extraction and transportation, and the international market for solar panels, wind turbines, and other essential technologies has led to a growing need for accreditation – in which an outside assessor examines the competence of bodies to determine compliance with standards – to support safety efforts and environmental sustainability up and down the energy sector's global supply chain.

ANSI and the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board offer a broad portfolio of third-party accreditation services based on international standards, including programs for product certification bodies, personnel certification bodies, education and training certificate-issuing bodies, greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies, management systems certification bodies, calibration and testing laboratories, inspection bodies, reference material producers, proficiency test providers, forensic testing laboratories and inspection agencies, and medical laboratories and medical examiners. ANSI is also the sole accreditor of standards developers that sponsor American National Standards and Technical Advisory Groups that formulate U.S. positions in relation to ISO activities. For more information about ANSI's accreditation work, visit www.ansi.org/accreditation.

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

About the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board
The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board provides accreditation services under the ACLASS, FQS, and ANAB brands. Under the ANAB brand, the organization accredits ISO/IEC 17021 management systems certification bodies. Under the ACLASS brand, the organization accredits ISO/IEC 17025 testing and calibration laboratories, ISO/IEC 17020 inspection bodies, ISO Guide 34 reference material producers, ISO/IEC 17034 proficiency test providers, ISO 15189 medical laboratories and medical examiners, and industry-specific programs. Under the FQS brand, the organization accredits ISO/IEC 17020 forensic inspection agencies and ISO/IEC 17025 forensic testing agencies.

The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board is a member of ILAC and IAF, and is a signatory of the ILAC and IAF multilateral recognition arrangements. Through these arrangements, the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board cooperates with other accreditation bodies around the world. The global conformity assessment system ensures confidence and reduces risk for customers engaging in trade worldwide.

SOURCE American National Standards Institute