By Don Arnold: NATA Deputy Sector Manager, Inspection
When I moved to Australia to join NATA in the Melbourne office in January 2023, I knew I was stepping into an organisation at the heart of critical systems that help protect the public every single day.
I knew that becoming a Deputy Sector Manager at NATA would provide me with a deeper appreciation for what accreditation means and why it matters, both professionally and personally.
The role accreditation plays – quietly, but critically.
Accreditation ensures that these systems are not only in place, but working as intended. That staff working at accredited organisations are competent, trained and authorised to perform tasks; equipment properly managed and calibrated, methods followed, and traceable records kept.
Most importantly, accreditation provides an independent verification that everything is done correctly.
At its core, accreditation protects the trust we all have in organisations and it ensures the processes behind our infrastructure, health, and safety are robust, reliable and are assessed and held up to internationally recognised standards.
Accreditation – it’s everywhere
Accreditation touches nearly every part of modern life. It’s in the safe food we eat, the air we breathe, the roads we drive on, the houses we live in, the buildings we work in and the medical tests we rely on, every day.
Most people never think about it but they rely on it constantly. Accreditation helps us to not only respond to issues but stay ahead of them by driving continuous improvement in systems that affect us all.
Why I do what I do
Now, as a Deputy Sector Manager at NATA, I bring this perspective with me every day. The work we do in accreditation might often be behind the scenes, but the impact is very real.
We are not just assessing laboratories or inspection bodies or reviewing documents; we help protect communities. We help people trust the systems around them.
Why drinking water safety became personal
Before moving to Australia, I worked in the Chemical & Biological Programme at IANZ in New Zealand. During my time the Havelock North water contamination Crown Inquiry was a significant undertaking.
In 2016, the Havelock North waterborne outbreak made thousands sick and led to four deaths. It was one of the most significant public health incidents in New Zealand’s recent history.
The subsequent Crown Inquiry was a high-level investigation that dissected every part of the water supply system from sampling, infrastructure, laboratory analysis, quality control, and legislation.
As the Programme Specialist overseeing the drinking water testing programme at the time, it was one of the most professionally challenging experiences I’ve been involved in. I know what it feels like when a system fails, and I know the value of making sure it doesn’t.
We all expect these complex systems to work, and that these systems work perfectly every time. We’re making sure that when someone turns on their tap to get a glass of water, they can do it with confidence.
That’s why accreditation matters, to me, to you, to all of us.