Q: What information is provided on the organisations in the register?
A: The QA Register provides address and contact information, details of the certification (certificate number, which Standard, which Assessment Body) and the complete wording of the organisation's scope of certification.
Q: Does the Register only contain UK organisations?
A: The Register lists awards made by certification bodies that have been accredited by UKAS (the United Kingdom Accreditation Service). These awards can however be to organisations in the UK or anywhere else in the world. Of the total number of certifications listed on the Register currently just less than half are for organisations outside the UK.
Q: I have searched the QA Register and cannot find the organisation I am looking for to confirm their certification. Is it likely that this information is missing from the Register, or that they do not have a quality award?
A: The Register is compiled from data submitted to us by the various UKAS accredited certification bodies. TSO makes every effort to obtain the latest certification information and to publish this on the QA Register at the earliest opportunity. However, the QA Register is not a mandatory register for any of the contributing bodies, nor for any of the individual organisations to whom certification has been awarded. TSO cannot therefore accept any responsibility if contributing bodies and/or their client organisations choose not to provide information to update or amend the Register. If you have any query regarding an organisation's certification, or if you believe details on the Register are missing or out-of-date, please contact us and we will take the matter up with the relevant certification body.
Q: How frequently is the QA Register updated?
A: The QA Register is updated with the latest certification details on an ongoing basis as we receive data from the contributing certification bodies. So new data is posted on the Register website every few days. The great majority of entries listed on the Register are updated by the certification bodies responsible for them on a regular monthly basis. Each entry on the Register shows the date it was last updated on our system.
Q: How do I contact a certification body?
A: Details of UKAS accredited certification bodies are available on the Register (see Certification Bodies under the option About the Register).
Q: Where do I find information on a particular standard and its guidelines?
A: We have provided information about ISO 9001, as this is the basis of the QA Register. Information on other standards may be available from UKAS, organisations who publish standards e.g. BSI, or the certification bodies.
Q: Why has the product and service heading information been removed from the Register?
A: Organisation entries on the Register used to include product and service headings. These headings dated back to the Register's original publication in book form when they were the only available means to cross-reference entries according to sectors of industry. The Register is now available only in electronic format and various keyword search facilities are now available. Also an ever-increasing number of the entries on the Register are being updated by means of downloads directly from contributing certification bodies' databases. This helps ensure information on the Register is as complete and as up-to-date as possible. However as the Register's product and service headings were never used elsewhere they do not form part of the data now being received from our contributors.
Q: How do I file a complaint against a certificated organisation, or an organisation that may be falsely claiming certification?
A: If you wish to file a complaint against a certificated organisation, firstly file your complaint with the organisation itself. If its response is not satisfactory, get in touch with the certification body that has assessed the organisation. If you have a complaint about the certification body, first file your complaint with them and then get in touch with UKAS (the United Kingdom Accreditation Service).
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