The Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC) is on the front lines to ensure that Jamaicans can trust the results from any lab or inspection body.

As an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, JANAAC provides accreditation to public and private sector laboratories, inspection and certification bodies. 

“In providing these accreditation services we attest to the competence of these entities and their conformance with the relevant international standards,” CEO of JANAAC, Sharon Mae Shirley, said.

Speaking with Kalilah Reynolds, Shirley explained that accreditation is the formal recognition by an independent body that a certification body operates according to international standards. 

She said that JANAAC’s role is to ensure that the entities responsible for giving companies the all-clear follow international best practices.

She said that accreditation is essential as it instils confidence in the public that the results and certification they receive can stand up to scrutiny.

JANAAC has accredited the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, the Jamaica Public Service meter testing arm and the National Works Agency, which inspects roadways, and various public and private medical labs.

“We are at the pinnacle of the conformity assessment pyramid that provides the overarching confidence to all that is done that is called conformity assessment,” Shirley said. 

She added that any company that provides inspection or certification services should seek to be accredited by the agency to ensure that their results can be trusted and meet recognised international standards.