Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition

hen it comes to maintaining healthy indoor air quality (IAQ), professional credentials provide a currency of exchange that's almost as important as money. This is be- cause they allow IAQ professionals and home- owners to make informed decisions quickly and efficiently. By carefully examining a credential, a home- owner or property manager can determine whether or not to trust someone to address an IAQ issue. By the same token, choosing the proper credential allows an IAQ professional to quickly and reliably communicate his knowl- edge and field experience to consumers. This transfer of information is often the critical step in maintaining a healthy indoor environment in a home or business. Both parties in the decision- making process thus have an interest in mak- ing sure that the credential at the heart of their exchange is a good one. One quick way to do this, whether you are a professional deciding on a certification or a property manager deciding on a professional, is to determine whether the credential is third- party accredited. Many people use the terms "certification" and "accreditation" interchangeably, but in reality they are quite distinct. Accreditation can be the key difference between a credible certification and a 3-day wonder. Why Third-party Accreditation? Accreditation is the process by which a certifica- tion program seeks a stamp of approval from an outside organization. An accredited program has been closely examined and found to com- ply with standards for organizational structure, program operation, eligibility requirements, ex- amination development, security, confidentiality and quality management. "Third-party" accreditation occurs when the ac- crediting body – the outside organization – is entirely independent of the certifying body. Third party accreditation is almost universal in well-established professions. In medicine, for example, degree-granting institutions are ac- credited by the American Medical Association (AMA); in engineering, degree programs are ac- credited by the American Board of Engineering Technology (ABET); in law, the American Bar Association (ABA) accredits certification and degree programs, while the American Psycho- logical Association (APA) performs this service for the field of psychology. In the industrial sector, third party accreditation is no less widespread. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) accredits a variety of certification programs, as does the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Council for Engineering and Scientific Spe- cialty Boards (CESB) and the National Commis- sion for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Third party accreditation is so important, in fact, that accrediting bodies themselves rely upon it. That's right – organizations that accredit certifi- cation programs are themselves accredited by third parties. Some examples of these "accredi- tors of accreditors" are the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the Interna- tional Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the US Department of Education. This arrangement illustrates an important princi- ple applicable to all certifying bodies: third party accreditation is the foundation of credibility. A Rigorous Process Third party accreditation is a rigorous process. Certifying bodies must demonstrate that their programs are operated independently of all vested interests, including training providers, curriculum developers and product manufactur- ers. They must submit their exam development procedures for review and demonstrate that their exams represent the current state of their industry. They must demonstrate impartial- ity and fairness in their eligibility requirements Certification Continued from previous page 38 May 2015 W

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