Accreditation helps in building credibility and quality of products, SLAB chief says
The main objective of establishing the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB) is to develop and strengthen the national quality structure in Sri Lanka, said Thilak Wickremasinghe, Director/CEO, SLAB at the World Accreditation Day – 9 June in Colombo.
Explaining the importance of accreditation, he said that businesses that supply or receive accredited conformity to show credible evidence of conformance with international standards can be used to distinguish them from their competitors.
A vast number of products and services are supplied from other countries while international trade represents a significant share of the gross domestic product of most countries, he said. He said that all countries and markets have seen an increase in the number of voluntary and mandatory technical regulations, standards, testing, inspection and certification procedures.
He spoke of the steps taken by the SLAB to meet the legitimate requirements of quality and safety that consumers, business, regulators and other organisations demand of goods and services. Therefore, he said it is vital, not only for individuals and organisations but for national and international economic health, that products and services can cross borders to meet global demand without causing undue risk to the health and security of individuals or the environment.
Enumerating the benefits of accreditation, he said that accredited test reports and certificates bring confidence and build trust in the customers. It gives a marketing advantage and reducing the risk of providing unreliable results, enhances the image of the organizations and its credibility among the public, facilitates domestic and international trade and removes unnecessary non-tariff barriers.Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce said that the lab certification accredited by SLAB would help attract competitive global markets and contribute to earn US$20 billion in export revenue by 2020.
He said that due to SLAB’s certification of Sri Lankan hospitals, more than Rs, 30 million in foreign expenditure is saved for the Lankan health sector and said that the total revenue for SLAB which was Rs. 18.8 million in 2013 has jumped to Rs 27.5 million in 2014.
SLAB, he said has received the first application for its new Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification, under Forest Garden Certification, from a Netherland based Indonesian office – Control Union Inspection and Certification Ltd. SLAB also would start accrediting vehicle emission testing operators in Sri Lanka, from this year, taking into consideration the public opinion, he asserted.
Namal Rajapaksha, Chairman, SLAB said that each year the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), which are the apex bodies in the world accreditation decide on a common theme and this year’s theme is ‘Accreditation, supported delivery of Health and Social Care.