Tweets, Posts, Reels, Blogs, TikToks, Videos, Slack. As a society, we are bombarded with social media, and in each channel, there are thousands of people we would call “influencers.” But what qualifies someone as an influencer? Their number of followers? How many “likes” they get? Their credibility? Their demonstration? It’s all these elements and more. To be an influencer means your audience is affected by your opinions and decisions. Food bloggers will post their favorite restaurants and recipes, encouraging us to try them, fashion bloggers will post their “what is in this season” looks, encouraging us buy the latest trends.
ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) content is influencing quality infrastructures around the globe. Standards and conformity assessment are widely acknowledged critical elements to the quality infrastructure at national, regional, and international levels. ANAB expertise in conformity assessment, as well as related trends in the industry, makes ANAB a significant #QualityInfluencer sharing this wealth of knowledge with many audiences.
#QualityInfluencer
The role of ANAB is to provide accreditation services, value-added assessment services, and training to public- and private-sector organizations that serve local, national, regional, and global marketplaces. As a global accreditation body, ANAB is committed to influencing best-quality practices through conformity assessment. By assessing to the requirements put forth by standards such as ISO/IEC 17021-1, ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC 17020, and a wide variety of others, ANAB by default influences the work of conformity assessment bodies (CABs). This is done through verbal and written communication during activities such as accreditation assessments including witness assessments, value added assessments outside the accreditation process, and during training. This communication brings a healthy exchange of ideas that deepens everyone’s understanding of the role of standards and conformity assessment in the quality infrastructure. “Conforming to ANAB requirements has a clear influence on the outcome of work,” writes Melissa Kennedy, Director of Accreditation, Forensics in a recent Heads Up to Forensic CABs.
As a #QualityInfluencer, we have a shared responsibility to assure competence, consistency, and impartiality of conformity assessment bodies. This plays a major role in removing trade barriers, as well as building a more robust quality infrastructure. ANAB, other accreditation bodies, CABs, government agencies, consumer organizations, and more, contribute to this shared responsibility. Here are a few practical examples:
- Eagle Food Registrations Inc., an ANAB ISO/IEC 17065 accredited CAB, provides certification to Good Manufacturing Practices, BRC Global Standard Food Safety and more, thus assuring the fulfillment of food quality and food processing requirements in an increasing global quality infrastructure of food products and services.
- American Society of Clinical Pathology, an ANAB ISO/IEC 17024 accredited CAB, provides personnel certification to medical laboratory assistants, cytologists, specialists in microbiology, and many more as a growing basis for confidence in many of our healthcare workers.
- Denver Police Department Crime Laboratory, an ANAB ISO/IEC 17025 accredited CAB, provides forensic testing to biology, digital and video/imaging technology analysis, toxicology, and more, as a basis for trust in evidence used in the criminal justice process.
These ISO/IEC standards, and others such as ASTM International standards, set the requirements for competence, consistency, and impartiality for organizations across the entire quality infrastructure. As an influencer, ANAB’s social media highlights new accreditations, re-accreditations, industry events, the latest news, and our expertise resulting from our thousands of assessments done annually. Every day we stand by our reputation as an influencer of quality infrastructure as our accredited organizations conduct conformity assessment activities worldwide.
Get Involved as a #QualityInfluencer
Are you a #QualityInfluencer? Tell us how! Share your stories with us, tag ANAB in your social media posts, and use the hashtag #QualityInfluencer. We can’t wait to hear from you!
