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| Organismo Nacional de Acreditación de Chile | |
|---|---|
| Name | Organismo Nacional de Acreditación de Chile |
| Formation | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Santiago, Chile |
| Region served | Chile |
| Leader title | Director |
| Parent organization | Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología, Conocimiento e Innovación |
Organismo Nacional de Acreditación de Chile is the national accreditation body responsible for the evaluation and recognition of conformity assessment bodies in Chile, including laboratories, inspection bodies, certification bodies, and proficiency testing providers. It operates within the institutional framework of the República de Chile and interacts with regional and international entities such as the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, International Accreditation Forum, and the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation. Its mandate connects with sectoral regulators like the Superintendencia de Salud (Chile), Superintendencia de Electricidad y Combustibles, and the Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero.
The entity was created amid regulatory reforms in the early 21st century influenced by international trends exemplified by the Nairobi Declaration (ILAC) and the Auckland Accord; its origins relate to policy debates in the Congreso Nacional de Chile and initiatives by the Ministerio de Salud (Chile) and the Ministerio de Economía, Fomento y Turismo. Early institutional development saw cooperation agreements with the Instituto Nacional de Normalización and technical cooperation from the Organización de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo Industrial and the Organización de Estados Americanos. Milestones include formal recognition of accreditation schemes for ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC 17021, and ISO/IEC 17020 competencies, and participation in hemispheric projects financed by the Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo.
Its primary functions are to assess conformity assessment bodies against international standards such as ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC 17021-1, ISO/IEC 17065 and to issue formal accreditation decisions; it also maintains registers used by regulators like the Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile and commercial sectors including Comité de Ministros-related commissions. The body provides technical guidance, participates in standardization dialogues with entities such as the Organización Internacional de Normalización and the Comisión Electrotécnica Internacional, and offers training linked to projects with the Agencia Chilena para la Eficiencia Energética and the Servicio Nacional de Aduanas. It adjudicates appeals and complaints following administrative procedures influenced by jurisprudence from the Corte Suprema de Chile and administrative principles from the Tribunal Constitucional (Chile).
The legal basis draws on statutes passed by the Congreso Nacional de Chile and decrees of the Presidencia de la República de Chile, and interacts with sectoral law frameworks such as the Ley de Bases Generales del Medio Ambiente and regulations under the Superintendencia de Valores y Seguros. Its normative references include international agreements like the Acuerdo de Reconocimiento Mutuo instruments, and alignment with conventions of the Organización Mundial del Comercio under the Acuerdo sobre Obstáculos Técnicos al Comercio. Judicial interpretations from the Corte de Apelaciones de Santiago and administrative rulings by the Contraloría General de la República have clarified scope and limits of accreditation powers.
The governance model integrates a board composed of representatives from public institutions such as the Ministerio de Salud (Chile), Ministerio de Economía, Fomento y Turismo, Servicio Nacional de Certificación, and stakeholders from industry federations including the Cámara de Comercio de Santiago and unions like the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores. Operational units include technical committees, peer evaluation teams assembled with experts from Universidad de Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and sectoral institutes like the Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. Oversight mechanisms reference audit practices used by the Contraloría General de la República and reporting obligations to the Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología, Conocimiento e Innovación.
Accreditation procedures follow documented schemes featuring application, assessment, proficiency testing, decision, surveillance, and re-evaluation phases similar to processes in the International Accreditation Forum and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation. Services include scope expansions for testing in fields regulated by the Instituto Nacional de Normalización, calibration services tied to the Instituto Nacional de Metrología de Chile, and witness assessments for bodies operating in sectors like minería overseen by the Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería. The body operates technical advisory panels that liaise with actors such as the Asociación de Exportadores de Chile and the Sociedad de Biólogos de Chile for sector-specific criteria development.
It holds mutual recognition arrangements and participates in multilateral recognition frameworks administered by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and the International Accreditation Forum, enabling cross-border acceptance of test reports and certifications used in trade with partners like China, Estados Unidos, Unión Europea, Brasil, and Argentina. Bilateral memoranda with national accreditation bodies such as Entidad Nacional de Acreditación (Argentina), Organisme d'Accréditation (France), and United Kingdom Accreditation Service support technical cooperation, peer evaluations, and joint capacity-building funded by institutions like the Banco Mundial.
Its accreditation decisions have influenced compliance in sectors tied to public health overseen by the Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, environmental monitoring related to the Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental, and export certification used by the Servicio Nacional de Aduanas. Controversies have arisen over perceived conflicts involving procurement practices scrutinized by the Fiscalía Nacional Económica and debates in the Congreso Nacional de Chile about transparency and the scope of accreditation in areas such as telecomunicaciones and energía. Public interest litigation and media coverage by outlets such as El Mercurio (Chile), La Tercera, and Radio Cooperativa have prompted reviews and administrative reforms debated before the Corte Suprema de Chile.
Category:Institutions of Chile Category:Accreditation bodies