What SANAS ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation means for your report

Short answer: the firm that produced it has been independently assessed for that type of inspection. The South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) assesses inspection bodies against ISO/IEC 17020 for competence, impartiality and consistent work. Accreditation covers only the services listed on the firm's schedule of accreditation, so check that your inspection is on it.

SANAS operates under the Accreditation for Conformity Assessment, Calibration and Good Laboratory Practice Act 19 of 2006. Section 4(1) recognises it as the only national body responsible for accreditation in respect of conformity assessment, including the accreditation of inspection bodies. ISO/IEC 17020 is the international standard for bodies performing inspection. Its third edition, ISO/IEC 17020:2026, was published in March 2026 and replaced the 2012 edition. SANAS moves accredited bodies to a revised standard through a transition process, so a current schedule of accreditation may still refer to ISO/IEC 17020:2012. Both editions set requirements for the competence and impartiality of inspection bodies and the consistency of their work.

What SANAS assesses

SANAS describes accreditation as a formal process of assessing and recognising whether a conformity assessment body is technically competent to provide the services it offers. Its assessments cover:

• People: the body's technical competence and, for inspection bodies, the experience, qualifications, performance and training of its personnel.

• Methods: whether the methods used are valid and appropriate.

• Instruments: the suitability, calibration and maintenance of equipment, and the traceability of measurements to national and international standards.

• Results: the handling of inspection items and the reporting of results.

• Impartiality and confidentiality: ISO/IEC 17020 sets requirements for impartiality, and SANAS's 2013 accreditation toolkit asks staff to commit to confidentiality and to independence from commercial and other interests.

Accreditation is not a one-off. SANAS visits accredited bodies regularly to check that competence is maintained, and reassesses them as the accreditation cycle requires.

What it means for your report

Accreditation tells you about the body that did the work, within limits:

• Competence, not compliance: it gives confidence in how the inspection was done. Whether your workplace complies still depends on the results, and on what you do about the recommendations.

• Only what is on the schedule: SANAS states that an organisation is accredited only for the specific services listed on the SANAS website, in its schedule of accreditation. A body accredited for noise monitoring is not, by that fact, accredited for a lighting or indoor air quality survey.

• Only while it is current: SANAS's directory of accredited facilities shows whether a facility is accredited, or whether its accreditation is suspended or withdrawn. If an organisation is not listed, it is not SANAS-accredited.

Accreditation and AIA approval

Accreditation and approval are separate decisions by separate bodies. The chief inspector approves an inspection authority under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, and only for the service it was approved for. SANAS accredits it under Act 19 of 2006.

For occupational health and hygiene, the two are linked. The Department of Employment and Labour requires an applicant for approved inspection authority (AIA) status to hold a certificate of accreditation from SANAS. Its approval certificates are valid for a maximum of four years and are renewed subject to valid SANAS accreditation and a satisfactory audit.

So where an occupational health regulation requires an AIA, accreditation comes with the approval. Where a regulation asks for a competent person instead, as the Physical Agents Regulations, 2024 do, there is no approval to check, but monitoring must still use instruments calibrated to a national or international traceable standard (regulation 7(2)(e)). Our article on approved inspection authorities and competent persons explains which work needs which.

A quick self-check

• Find each inspection body you use in the directory of accredited facilities on the SANAS website and open its schedule of accreditation.

• Check that the type of inspection in your report appears on that schedule, not just the firm's name.

• Confirm the accreditation was current, not suspended or withdrawn, on the date of your survey.

• For noise, chemical, lead and asbestos monitoring, also check the firm's entry on the Department's AIA list: the same name, the right field and an approval that has not expired.

• Ask how the instruments used were calibrated and traced to national or international standards, and keep the calibration certificates with the report.

How Qualitas can help

Qualitas Occupational Consulting is a Department of Employment and Labour Approved Inspection Authority and a SANAS-accredited (ISO/IEC 17020) inspection body for asbestos, lead, noise and hazardous chemical agents. Read more about Qualitas.

We also offer heat and cold stress, illumination, indoor air quality, vibration, ergonomics and biological agents assessments, which sit outside that accreditation scope. If an inspector is due, our article on preparing for a Department of Employment and Labour inspection lists the records to have ready.

Not sure what your site needs? Start with our free Compliance Gap Analysis, request a quote, or call or WhatsApp 082 649 6599.

This article is general guidance based on the Accreditation for Conformity Assessment, Calibration and Good Laboratory Practice Act 19 of 2006, SANAS publications and the Department of Employment and Labour's requirements for approval as an occupational health and hygiene AIA. It is not legal advice; refer to those sources for the full requirements.

Christo de Wet is a SAIOH-registered occupational hygienist with 15 years' experience and the founder of Qualitas Occupational Consulting.