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BVS Insights
Technical, sourced articles on conformity assessment, certification, inspection, accreditation, food safety and standards.
What is ISO certification?
A plain explanation of ISO management-system certification: who does it, what is checked, how long a certificate lasts and what it does not prove.
What happens during an ISO audit?
A walk-through of a certification audit day: the plan, the opening meeting, how auditors sample evidence, how findings are graded, and the closing meeting.
Stage 1 vs Stage 2 audit: what is the difference?
Stage 1 checks readiness; Stage 2 checks that the system works. What each stage covers, what comes out of it, and common reasons organisations are not ready.
Major vs minor nonconformity: how auditors grade findings
What turns a finding into a major nonconformity, what a minor nonconformity means for certification, and how grading decisions should be made.
Correction, corrective action and root cause: getting the response right
The difference between fixing the problem and fixing the system, with a worked 5-Why example and what auditors look for in a response.
What makes a certification body impartial?
Impartiality explained: the threats a certification body must manage, why audit, technical review and decision are separated, and what to ask before you choose a certifier.
Surveillance and recertification audits explained
What happens after the certificate is issued: annual surveillance, what auditors check, recertification before expiry, and what happens if deadlines are missed.
How to choose a certification body and verify a certificate
A checklist for choosing a certifier on substance rather than price, and how buyers can check whether a supplier's certificate is genuine and current.
ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 revisions: status as of October 2026
Where the three most-used management-system standards stand in October 2026: ISO 14001:2026 published, ISO 9001 at publication stage, ISO 45001 revision in progress.
What is conformity assessment? Testing, inspection, certification and accreditation explained
The vocabulary and structure behind every certificate, inspection report and test result — and which international standard governs each kind of body.
Inspection, certification and testing: what is the difference?
How an inspection differs from a certificate or a test report, the three types of inspection body under ISO/IEC 17020, and what a buyer should ask for.
Product certification explained: ISO/IEC 17065 and certification scheme types
How product certification works, why the scheme matters more than the certificate, and what the ISO/IEC 17067 scheme types tell a buyer.
Accreditation vs certification: what the difference means for buyers
Organisations are certified; certification bodies are accredited. How the two layers work, and how to check both before you rely on a certificate.
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