Clarifying the SABS mark

Accreditation, certification

Often companies or people may say, "I have been accredited by the SABS." Impressive as it sounds, it is a meaningless statement, because the SABS provides certification services for clients, not accreditation services.

Certification is part of conformity assessment, whereby an independent neutral body confirms that a product or service complies with certain specifications, such as a South African National Standard (SANS). Conformity assessment is done by a third party such as the SABS, which acts in the interests of a fair deal between the first and second parties. In SABS's case, it acts as a third party between producers and consumers or between government and suppliers.

In this sense, it is like a football referee, who acts as a third party to ensure a fair game between the first two parties - the two teams playing the match. However, not anybody can put on the ref's uniform, grab a whistle and declare himself a football referee. He must first go through a process that tests his knowledge and interpretation of the rules, and declares him competent to be a ref. That process is called accreditation.

Likewise, not any organisation can declare itself an independent conformity assessment provider. It must first be declared competent to provide this service. In short, it must be accredited. In South Africa, the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) provides accreditation. Therefore, the SABS seeks SANAS accreditation for the conformity assessment services that it provides to the country. This accreditation confirms that it is technically competent to do its work, that its results are impartial and that all parties can trust it.

However, the SABS also acts as a third party between local manufacturers and European consumers, or between European manufacturers and local consumers. Therefore, it is important to also be accredited by a body, which is recognised in Europe, such as the Raad voor Akkreditatie (RvA) in the Netherlands.

SABS approved

Another area of misunderstanding arises around the phrase 'SABS Approved'. If a manufacturer brings a product sample for testing and that sample meets or exceeds the specification against which it is tested, it is not 'SABS approved'. That term refers only to products that have been submitted for and successfully attained the SABS mark, a product certification scheme offered by the SABS.

In the case of attaining the SABS mark, the product must meet the specifications of the SANS code, applicable to that type of product. However, the mark provides further benefits for both the manufacturer and the end user of the mark-bearing product.

To attain the mark, the product must pass product testing against the SANS. Further, the manufacturer's production facility will also be inspected by the SABS to determine whether it has adequate quality assurance systems in place (such as SABS ISO 9001) to ensure that product quality can be maintained consistently. Additionally, the SABS will then conduct ongoing audits of the quality management system, along with regular and ongoing tests of the product, obtained from either market outlets or the factory, to verify that it still meets the specifications of the SANS. Only then, will the product obtain the SABS mark and be 'SABS Approved'.

This means that consumers can trust products with the SABS mark. Not only has an initial batch of the product been tested to show that it meets the required standard, but further batches will continue to meet the standard. This peace of mind for the buyer is, in turn, a great marketing tool for the producer. The SABS mark is an icon that it can display proudly on its products.

However, it is also important to stress that only products qualify for the mark, not producers. Therefore, if a factory produces ten different products and one attains the mark, it cannot claim that the other nine products are also 'SABS Approved'. If it seeks the SABS mark and its 'SABS Approved' stamp for the other nine products, then each one must be submitted for the mark scheme separately.