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Latest News & Opinion on the ISO Certification Scheme

Forget FIFA, Investigate the IAF

Forget FIFA, Investigate the IAF

With this week’s ruling by the IAF — through its cohort the EA — clearing UKAS despite overwhelming evidence of failure to enforce accreditation rules, it’s become evident to the world that the ISO 9001 certification scheme is meaningless.

IAF Clears UKAS in Response to Allegations of Gross Misconduct, Accreditation Violations

IAF Clears UKAS in Response to Allegations of Gross Misconduct, Accreditation Violations

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) has cleared the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) of all the allegations made against it by Oxebridge in a high-profile complaint filed in January. The Oxebridge complaint specifically alleged UKAS was in breach of its obligations under ISO 17011, as well as UK law, by failing to enforce accreditation rules on two of UKAS’ certification bodies, LRQA and BSI.

IAF Clears UKAS in Response to Allegations of Gross Misconduct, Accreditation Violations

IAF Clears UKAS in Response to Allegations of Gross Misconduct, Accreditation Violations

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) has cleared the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) of all the allegations made against it by Oxebridge in a high-profile complaint filed in January. The Oxebridge complaint specifically alleged UKAS was in breach of its obligations under ISO 17011, as well as UK law, by failing to enforce accreditation rules on two of UKAS’ certification bodies, LRQA and BSI.

Hey, Houston, Want to Meet Paris?

Hey, Houston, Want to Meet Paris?

During the week of July 20, I'll be in Jack West's stomping grounds, The Woodlands TX, a stone's throw from Houston. Which is convenient, because I expect West to be throwing stones. Assuming his pitching arm isn't strong enough, I'll be available evenings for...

Post-Hack, Some Site Errors Remain

For the next 48 hours, some site content may not be available as server permissions are temporarily tightened or restricted entirely, which may cripple some WordPress features, and the serving of some media content. This is planned, and all part of the actions being...

Oxebridge Site Hacked, Restored

Oxebridge Site Hacked, Restored

At approximately 8 PM EST on July 13th, the Oxebridge.com site was temporarily hacked. Traffic was redirected to a simple HTML file inserted by the intruder, and removed by Oxebridge less than an hour later. Some pages are still directing to the injected page, which...

The Kneejerk Cynicism of ISO’s Incumbents

The Kneejerk Cynicism of ISO’s Incumbents

The ISO incumbents — certification bodies and standards committees — continue to block progress that would benefit them. Here’s their cynical explanation of the pro-user movement.

CB Auditor Training for 9001:2015 Has Open Book Test, That Should Go Well

CB Auditor Training for 9001:2015 Has Open Book Test, That Should Go Well

We’ve just discovered that the CB industry organization IAAR (Independent Association of Accredited Registrars) is giving a self-paced online training course for CB auditors on the new ISO 9001:2015 standard that, one attendee reported, takes about three hours to complete. If only a few hours of training isn’t enough to convince you the CBs are preparing to unleash a horde of ignorant, unqualified idiots on the playing field, then consider this: the final exam is open book.

Another ISO 31000 Certificate Mill Pops Up [UPDATED]

Another ISO 31000 Certificate Mill Pops Up [UPDATED]

[UPDATED: see below] In what's become an international trend, another unaccredited ISO 31000 certificate mill has emerged, proving that few of the companies offering certifications on the risk management standard have done actual risk assessments on their own dubious...

Nearly Two Thirds of US TAG Comments on DIS 9001 Were Rejected by TC 176

Nearly Two Thirds of US TAG Comments on DIS 9001 Were Rejected by TC 176

There may not be a better example of the ineffective and weak leadership of the US TAG to TC 176 than the leaked file of international comments on the coming ISO 9001:2015 standard. It shows, with stunning clarity, how the TAG 176 got beaten bloody by its international counterparts, and failed utterly in effectively communicating the US position.

Join the ISO 9001 Discussion on LinkedIn

Join the ISO 9001 Discussion on LinkedIn

If you want more online ranting and raving about all things ISO 9001, consider joining the ISO 9001 discussion forum, located here. With over 73,000 members, it's become the number one source for information and discussion on the internet hellscape that is LinkedIn....

Oxebridge Audio Series: Why Certification Body Auditors Are Terrible

Oxebridge Audio Series: Why Certification Body Auditors Are Terrible

From a talk given at a closed event in February 2015, this discussion looks at why ISO 9001 certification body auditors routinely perform poorly, and how the current lack of training, as well as psychological factors which arise during the audit experience, ensure auditors will remain poor performers. Includes steps which must be taken to reverse this trend.

Read ANSI CEO Joe Bhatia’s 2012 Testimony before Congress

Read ANSI CEO Joe Bhatia’s 2012 Testimony before Congress

In 2012 ANSI CEO Joe Bhatia testified before the US House Committee on Space, Science and Technology, and assured the Congress that all was well with both ANSI the organization and its’ two primary functions: standards development and conformity assessment oversight. As we know, both are entirely off the rails, and have been so for years.

Want to Join the AS9100 Committee? Good Luck!

Want to Join the AS9100 Committee? Good Luck!

To test the theory that the IAQG isn’t really interested in allowing actual users of AS9100 join the ranks of those responsible for writing the standard, I thought I’d do what I usually do, and shove my head in the lion’s mouth so you don’t have to.

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