BS EN ISO/IEC 17000:2020 PDF Download

What is BS EN ISO/IEC 17000:2020 about?

Conformity assessment is most effective when it’s underpinned by a framework of internationally agreed terminology that’s consistently communicated between suppliers, customers, public authorities and the international agencies concerned.

To that end, BS EN ISO/IEC 17000:2020 specifies the general terms and definitions used in conformity assessment and describes the functional approach to conformity assessment.  

Who is BS EN ISO/IEC 17000:2020 for?

• Conformity assessment bodies including:
  • Accreditation bodies
  • Certification bodies
  • Inspection bodies
  • Validation and verification bodies
  • Conformity assessment customers and potential customers
  • Scheme owners and operators
  • Consultants
  • Regulators
  • Laboratories
  • Government authorities

Why should you use BS EN ISO/IEC 17000:2020?

If vocabulary is misused in conformity assessments it could result in ambiguity, misunderstandings, lack of trust and costly disputes. BS EN ISO/IEC 17000 therefore specifies the general terms and definitions used in conformity assessment (including in the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies and to facilitate trade) in order to reduce the likelihood of misinterpretation.  

BS EN ISO/IEC 17000 is recognized by the World Trade Organization and the European Union. General principles of conformity assessment and a description of the functional approach to conformity assessment are also provided.

NOTE: Conformity assessment interacts with other fields such as management systems, metrology, standardization and statistics. The boundaries of conformity assessment are not defined in this document.

BS EN ISO/IEC 17000:2020 contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals 2, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 because the standard supports conformity with agreed best practice standards across a very wide range of subject areas and disciplines.  

What’s new about BS EN ISO/IEC 17000:2020?

This is a revision of the 2004 edition. The major changes in BS EN ISO/IEC 17000:2020 are:

a)       Some terms have been modified and removed

b)      Some terms have been updated to reflect updated terminology in related sectors

c)       Nine additional terms have been defined

d)      One ‘product’ has been moved to the list of related general terms defined outside the ISO/IEC 17000 series of standards

e)      The underlying principles of conformity assessment – the Functional Approach – have been clarified along with the conceptual relationships between the defined general terms