The Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB), the state organization responsible for the accreditation of laboratories, certification bodies and inspection bodies. It provides accreditation in conjunction with the International Organization for Standardization ISO 17000 series of standards and guidelines. It is the statutory organization responsible for Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). INAB was established in 1985 and is a committee of the Health and Safety Authority under the Industrial Development (Dissolution of Forfas) Act 2014. In January 2010, the European Commission was informed by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (now DJEI) that INAB is the only accreditation body for Ireland in line with Regulation EC/765/2008. One of its many functions is the accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories ISO 17025, ISO 15189 INAB has provided accreditation of medical laboratories according to ISO 15189 since its publication in 2003. For the medical laboratory agenda, INAB uses a mix of technical experts and qualified medical assessors from other EA accreditation organizations who have considerable knowledge in medical laboratory accreditation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay INAB has also trained a number of Irish technical experts on ISO 15189. Legislation (SI No. 360 of 2005) published in 2005 requires blood bank laboratories to operate to ISO 15189 by November 2008. These laboratories must also meet these terms with additional requirements related to blood traceability and haemovigilance (notification of serious adverse reactions and events). The overall accreditation process involves an assessment of the applicant laboratory's quality system documentation and processes, a pre-assessment site visit to identify any issues that need to be addressed prior to assessment, and an on-site assessment visit with the entire team INAB evaluation process to validate the technical capacity of the laboratory and its compliance with ISO 15189 and INAB criteria. Once all the problems have been adequately addressed, an in-depth report is presented to the INAB Board of Directors with the support proposal for the judgment on the assignment of accreditation. Accreditation is granted for a period of 5 years and is re-evaluated through annual on-site inspections. Why is accreditation so important? The European single market allows the free movement of goods, services and people within the European Union. This free trade presupposes trust in the presented product or service and can only be used after removing technical barriers to trade. EU members have established a system of national accreditation bodies, which ensure that the aptitude of all laboratories, inspection and qualification bodies are assessed according to the same values. Accreditation is often required to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of laws, EU directives and official regulations. The European Commission recognizes accreditation as the preferred method for the abolition of technical barriers to trade and has stated that “Accreditation is essential for the proper functioning of a transparent and quality-oriented market”. Accreditation can provide a competitive advantage and facilitate the advancement of access to export markets, as well as acting as a vehicle for raising standards and introducing improved working practices. Benefits of Accreditation Government accreditation is the preferred method of ensuring public trust.