SSAIB - Security in Safe Hands

A First for SSAIB

UKAS Grant SSAIB ISO/IEC 17021: 2006

The SSAIB is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service to offer a wide range of certification schemes including Quality Manage Systems in accordance with the requirements of ISO 9001.

Currently our accreditation with respect to providing BS EN ISO 9001 certification of an organisation’s Quality Management System (QMS) is to BS EN 45012. However this is about to change as SSAIB has been awarded accreditation to the standard that will replace BS EN 45012, namely BS EN ISO 17021.

BS EN ISO 17021 provides a number of benefits in that it applies to a wider range of Management Standards than simply QMS certification. Under this accreditation, SSAIB will be better placed to offer Environmental Management Systems Certification to BS EN ISO 14001 and Occupational health and Safety Management Systems Certification to BS EN ISO 18001 and we will be applying to UKAS to extend our scope to include these standards in the near future.

SSAIB is the first of the specialised security industry certification body to achieve accreditation to this standard.

21CN UPDATE

Following the initial 21CN trials in the Cardiff area in 2007, the SSAIB has been informed that BT intends to migrate further PSTN lines in the Cardiff area over to the 21CN network during the period July 2008 to January 2009.

Although alarm system manufacturers have been doing extensive testing with BT it is proposed that alarm systems whose connections might be affected will be ‘groomed out’ of the migration process until all of the testing has been completed and the impact of 21CN on alarm transmission equipment is fully understood.

In order to facilitate this all installers with communicating alarm systems in then Cardiff area are being asked to provide details of communicating alarm systems in the migration area for which they are responsible.

If you install communicating alarm systems in the Cardiff area and have not already been contacted, with a specific request for this information, please contact the SSAIB office for detailed information on the migration and the action you need to take.

SSAIB Statement of Impartiality

SSAIB is fully aware that the fair and impartial operation of all certification schemes is a fundamental requirement if such schemes are to earn and retain the confidence of certified companies and their clients.

SSAIB is committed at all levels to the maintenance of its impartiality, and has put in place the necessary policies and procedures to ensure that its certification activities and decisions are both objective and impartial. These policies and procedures are under ongoing review by an independent committee whose primary task is to ensure that impartiality is safeguarded.

SSAIB has also established the means to deal with potential conflicts or threats to its objectivity, should these ever arise.