NSF International announced Tuesday it would offer “independent, third-party oversight of collision repair shops” through a program touted to certify shop repair capabilities.

Shops will be audited twice a year by AccuracyDriven4 on factors including whether they do “high-quality, consistent repairs,” use the correct equipment, have trained staff, use “quality parts,” have good customer service and address complaints and use computer estimating.

They also must be in compliance with all state and federal regulations.

“The collision industry has struggled for years to adopt a standard for providing safe and accurate repairs to the consumer,” AccuracyDriven4 CEO Douglas Irish said in a statement. “It has been a long process and it makes sense for NSF International, a company recognized globally for testing and certification, to be the independent entity that brings collision repair certification to a reality. AccuracyDriven4 is pleased to be the exclusive provider of audit services for the NSF International Automotive Collision Repair Shop Certification Program.”

Collision repairers can be certified in four tracks: cosmetic repair of aluminum and of everything else and structural repair of aluminum and everything else.

It’s intriguing that the program, created with help from the American National Standards Institute, collision repairers and other industry figures, claims to verify actual repair quality. Training and equipment generally are certified, but whether a collision repairer actually can fix a vehicle to OEM specifications generally isn’t. (Though ASE does stringently test knowledge.)

NSF also certifies aftermarket parts and the distributors who sell them.

“There are 33,000 to 35,000 collision repair shops in the U.S. today,” Fix Auto Highlands Ranch operator Dan Stander, who helped create the new standards, said in a statement. “With NSF International collision repair shop certification, qualifying shops now have a way to differentiate themselves from the competition in terms of providing higher quality, safer repairs and exceptional customer service.”

Details: autocert@nsf.org.