FAQ's
1. What is MAURITAS?
The Mauritius Accreditation Service (MAURITAS) has been established as a department under the Ministry responsible for the subject of Industrial Development following the adoption of the Mauritius Accreditation Service Act 1998. The main objective of MAURITAS is to provide a national, unified service for the accreditation of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) such as Calibration and Testing Laboratories, Inspection Bodies and Certification Bodies.
2. What is accreditation all about?
Accreditation is the formal recognition, by an authoritative third party, that a facility (which we refer to as a Conformity Assessment body (CAB)) is competent to perform specific tasks and has a documented Management System in place to ensure consistent implementation of its processes. An accredited CAB will have demonstrated through formal assessment that it is competent to perform the specific tasks for which accreditation is sought, and that it satisfies both national and international requirements for accreditation.
3. Where can I purchase a copy of accreditation standards?
National and International Standards can be purchased from our National Standards Organisation, the Mauritius Standards Bureau (MSB).
4. Does MAURITAS offer any consultancy services on accreditation requirements?
MAURITAS does not offer consultancy services as per the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011:2017. However, MAURITAS has developed guidance documents to assist CABs in implementing their management systems in view of getting accredited. The guidance documents can be accessed on the MAURITAS website on the following links: http://www.mauritas.org/files/G1.pdf and http://www.mauritas.org/files/G3.pdf
5. My organization wants to become accredited. How to proceed?
First of all, you need to have an understanding of which standard needs to be implemented. Once you have an understanding of the standard that applies to your facility, you will be able to establish a management system that at its minimum will fulfil the requirements of the relevant standard. Once you have documented and implemented your management system, you will then be able to apply to MAURITAS for accreditation. You may contact MAURITAS and a meeting will be scheduled to explain the different processes and steps of the accreditation process.
6. What are the different steps of the accreditation process?
The MAURITAS accreditation process consists of the following
steps:
• Application and Document Review
• Preliminary Visit (Optional)
• Initial assessment
• Decision by the Accreditation Committee
• Annual assessments
• Re-assessments after 4 years
7. How to apply for accreditation?
Application for accreditation has to be done by submitting the
following to MAURITAS:
• Relevant Application Form along with the respective
Self-Assessment Checklist (available on the link: https://www.mauritas.org/app.php)
• Quality Documentation (Policies and Procedures)
• Relevant Application Fees.
8. How long does it take to become accredited?
This time frame depends on how well you have implemented the management system in accordance with the relevant standard and accreditation requirements.
Typically, timelines are a minimum of 9 months for the whole process up to, however a maximum period of 2 years, depending on your state of readiness and the time you take to address any findings identified by MAURITAS Assessment Teams.
The detailed timelines can be viewed on the following links: http://www.mauritas.org/files/Timelines%20for%20Applicant%20Laboratories.pdf and https://mauritas.org/files/Timeline%20for%20Accredited%20Laboratory.pdf
9. How much will it cost to be accredited?
Fees consist of Application Fee, Assessment Fee and Annual Fee. All applicable fees are as per the Mauritius Accreditation Service (Laboratory Accreditation Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 and the Mauritius Accreditation Service (Certification Body Accreditation Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 which can be consulted on the following link: http://www.mauritas.org/about.php
CABs may make use of the guidance documents on fees for budgeting and planning purposes which are available on the following links: http://www.mauritas.org/files/G5.pdf and http://www.mauritas.org/files/G7.pdf
10. Is accreditation mandatory?
Currently, Accreditation is voluntary for all CABs including calibration and testing laboratories and certification bodies. Please note that the accreditation mechanism may be used by Regulators, public and private companies in their business processes to ensure conformity of products or services. You may therefore encounter that some organisations have accreditation as a requirement when doing business.
11. Is MAURITAS competent to accredit my organisation?
MAURITAS is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) since October 2018. The purpose of these organisations is to ensure comparability and acceptance of data amongst its member countries. Every 4 years MAURITAS undergoes a rigorous peer evaluation process by ILAC and IAF through the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC), in order to verify that MAURITAS continues to comply with the international requirements of an accreditation body, and is able to provide a competent accreditation service.
MAURITAS’ signatory status details can be obtained from:
ILAC: https://www.ilac.org
and
IAF: https://iaf.nu/en/home/
12. Does recognition of MAURITAS accreditation programmes
extend beyond Mauritius?
MAURITAS accreditation services are widely recognized and promote the global acceptance of Mauritian products and services. MAURITAS accredited programmes help to open international markets and reduce trade barriers for services and products through the use of mutual and multi-lateral recognition of accreditation
13. How does ILAC or IAF recognition benefit my organisation?
MAURITAS being a signatory member of ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) and IAF (International Accreditation Forum), results from your accredited laboratory, or certificates issued by an accredited certification body will be accepted by other members of the ILAC or IAF Mutual recognition arrangement. This means that there will be no need to re-test results or re-certify products if they cross the Mauritian borders into countries who are also signatories to ILAC and IAF.
14. Does MAURITAS tests or calibrates samples?
MAURITAS provides only accreditation services. Testing and Calibration services are provided by laboratories.
15. My laboratory is ISO 9001 certified. Why do I need to be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 or ISO 15189?
The emphasis of ISO 9001 is to establish compliance with quality management systems requirements. ISO/IEC 17025 includes additional technical requirements for laboratory personnel and operations. Being certified to ISO 9001 should not be interpreted to imply compliance to ISO/IEC 17025 or ISO 15189. A laboratory’s fulfilment of the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 or ISO 15189 means the laboratory meets both the technical competence requirements and management system requirements that are necessary for it to consistently deliver technically valid test results and calibrations. The management system requirements in ISO/IEC 17025 or ISO 15189 are written in language relevant to laboratory operations and meet the principles of ISO 9001 Quality Management System – Requirements and are aligned with its pertinent requirements.
16. Does a medical laboratory apply for accreditation against ISO 15189 or ISO/IEC 17025?
ISO 15189 is the required standard for the accreditation of Medical Laboratories. MAURITAS does not accept applications for medical laboratory accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025.
17. What is certification?
Certifications are sought from conformity assessment bodies to demonstrate the applicant‘s compliance with specified standards and defined by the ISO as a third-party attestation related to products, processes, systems or persons. Certification involves a formal process by which an accredited or authorized person or agency assesses and verifies the attributes, characteristics, quality, qualification, or status of individuals or organizations, goods or services, procedures or processes, or events or situations, in accordance with established requirements or standards.
18. What is a Certification Body?
Certification Body (CB) is an organisation that certifies other organisations in respect of the compliance of management systems, schemes or products with recognised specifications or standards
19. Who benefits from accredited certification?
Accreditation adds value to the ever growing and increasingly
complicated market chain in many ways, including by providing a
symbol of assurance that certification bodies are independent and
competent to perform their duties. The main beneficiaries are:
• Certification bodies
• Government and other interested parties
• Clients of certification bodies (client organisations that
provide goods and services and that want to be certified)
• End consumers of certified products and services (retailers,
wholesalers and the individual consumer).
20. What are the different areas under certification body accreditation currently offered by MAURITAS?
Quality Management System, Environmental Management System, HACCP System, Food Safety Management System and Information Security
21. How certification body accreditation is different from laboratory accreditation?
The main accreditation standard used by MAURITAS for assessment and accreditation of certification body (CB) is ISO/IEC 17021-1. The assessment comprises an office assessment and a number of witnessing at CBs client premises.
22. How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect MAURITAS on-site assessments?
MAURITAS postponed all on-site assessments following the lock down/curfew (due to COVID-19) in Mauritius for the period 20 March 2020 to 01 June 2020. MAURITAS is planning to resume its on-site assessment activities in September 2020.
23. How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the transition to ISO/IEC 17025:2017?
Following to the lock down/curfew due to COVID-19 outbreak in Mauritius, MAURITAS amended its Transition Plan to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 so as to accommodate the Transition Assessments that were postponed. This action will ensure that all accredited laboratories are successfully transitioned as per the deadline set by ILAC.