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SON receives global management systems standards

By Femi Adekoya
30 January 2019   |   2:37 am
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has received four international management systems standards from the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) of India.

The Director-General, SON, Osita Aboloma

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has received four international management systems standards from the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) of India.

According to the Director- General, SON, Osita Aboloma, the four standards include, (ISO Quality Management System, Environmental Management System, Occupational Health and Safety Management System and Food Safety Management System).

The Director General added that with the accreditation, SON’s Management System Certification (MSC), is determined to ensure continual improvement in service delivery given the global recognition that the accreditation confers.
Aboloma stated that NABCB was approached in 2017 for accreditation, maintaining that the agency’s steadfastness to ensuring safety of lives through standards made it possible for SON to receive the certification a year later, a feat he described as a great milestone achieved in record time.

In his words, “Our positions on the NABCB register for the various schemes are as follows: QMS: SON is 38th, EMS: SON is 10th, FSMS: SON is 15thand OHSMS: SON is 7th.He however stated that accreditation is vital for businesses’ quest to achieve growth and profitability in Nigeria, adding that accreditation also helps businesses compete at the global level.

The SON helmsman said choosing an accredited certification body gives confidence that services offered meet clients’ requirements, stressing that the use of accredited conformity assessment services is increasingly a stipulation of customers in both the public and private sectors.

In his words: “Through the formal arrangements of accreditation bodies, the likelihood of smooth access to overseas markets for companies using accredited certification is increased since certificates issued by bodies that are accredited by an IAF/MLA signatory are recognized and accepted throughout the world.”

According to him, accreditation keeps activities under control with the help of knowledge transfer since accredited certification bodies can be a good source of impartial advice, stressing that it can also offer market differentiation and leadership by showing to others credible evidence of good practice.He pointed out that by meeting internationally-recognized policies and procedures on a regular basis, competence in performing conformity assessment activities is highlighted.

“Accreditation emphasizes the independence of the conformity assessment body in performing the assessment and regular assessments by accreditation audit teams allow to determine whether assessment activities are performed correctly and to appropriate standards, as well as providing business with a benchmark for measuring future performance against,” he stressed.

He noted that in order to ensure the provision of quality services, the Management Systems Certification Directorate (MSC) aligned its activities with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021 2015 (Conformity assessment: Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems) standard.

He added that SON MSC is committed to providing quality Certification services by: ‘‘complying with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021 2015, understanding and exceeding the needs and expectations of its clients, using validated procedures and equipment and remaining competitive while satisfying its clients.

Aboloma added: Our quality objectives we are set out to achieve are efficient and prompt service delivery to clients, ensuring prompt resolution of all client’s complaints and regular updating of our auditors knowledge and skill.’’

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