Keep Your Lab Ahead of the Pack with ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation

Companies are encouraged to request a copy of the analytical laboratory’s scope of accreditation. This document will show the specific tests or measurements the analytical laboratory has been audited against and accredited for. The scope of accreditation also provides ranges or measurement uncertainties that accompany those specific tests or measurements. The analytical laboratory should be willing and able to produce its scope of accreditation upon request.

Companies are also encouraged to request a copy of any proficiency data that the analytical laboratory has available related to its scope of accreditation. This proficiency data will provide the customer with a good overall picture of the technical competence of the laboratory staff. The analytical laboratory must routinely participate in external and recognized proficiency programs in order to maintain compliance with the ISO/IEC 17025 standard.

Participation of the analytical laboratory in proficiency programs should be ongoing and should include all of the tests and technical laboratory staff included within the laboratory’s scope of accreditation. The resulting proficiency data must be supplied back to the accrediting body upon completion by the analytical laboratory to ensure ongoing and continued compliance. Accreditation can provide the company with increased confidence in analysis. This can then be used to establish baselines for key analysis and decisions regarding quality of their products. The data that is supplied from an accredited laboratory allows the company’s goods to be more readily accepted in overseas markets upon exportation.

This has also helped many companies adopt a uniform and internationally accepted testing and measurement approach. And when the materials don’t need to be retested upon entering another country, the costs associated with worldwide trade decrease.

As mentioned, the benefits of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation are also relevant to the analytical laboratory. A lab’s accreditation is a reliable indicator of its technical competence and expertise. The accreditation assures the lab’s customer base that the test and calibration data supplied by the lab are accurate, reliable, and sound. Test and calibration data from an accredited laboratory provide confidence that the testing specifications are consistent, are internally and externally audited, are monitored routinely, and provide for continuous improvement, allowing for smoother and greater output of accurate data due to the consistency of work performed by technically competent laboratory staff.

Accredited laboratories are reevaluated on a routine basis to ensure continued compliance to the standard. This allows the laboratory to improve its processes continually.

The choice of an accredited lab is an important decision for any company. The laboratory will become a partner, providing quality test results and technically competent knowledge. The laboratory should be one that is actively involved in industry associations, providing information on advancements in technology that allow for continuous improvement and an expanded level of competence among laboratory staff.

The laboratory should be willing to provide many value-added benefits to its customers. A partnership between a company and a laboratory is not based on analytical results alone. The laboratory should be able to provide technical insight, consulting, interpretation, and regulatory limits information to the company, allowing both parties to better understand the combined goals of food safety and quality.

Ensuring that safe products reach the market is a process that takes many partners. The company should select a laboratory that is accredited to the specific testing requirements needed. This will guarantee the highest level of confidence and quality in the obtained test or measurement result.