International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation. Why use an Accredited Laboratory?

Transcription

1 Internationa Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Why use an Accredited Laboratory?

2 What factors shoud you consider when choosing a aboratory? When seecting a aboratory to fufi your testing, caibration or measurement needs, you need to be sure that they can suppy you with accurate and reiabe resuts. The technica competence of a aboratory depends on a number of factors incuding: the quaifications, training and experience of the staff the right equipment propery caibrated and maintained adequate quaity assurance procedures proper samping practices appropriate testing procedures vaid test methods traceabiity of measurements to nationa standards accurate recording and reporting procedures suitabe testing faciities A these factors contribute to a aboratory being technicay competent to do your testing. goba trust Testing Caibration Inspection

3 Why is a aboratory s technica competence so critica to you as a manufacturer, suppier, exporter or customer? Minimise risk Throughout the word today, customers seek reassurance that the products, materias or services they produce or purchase meet their expectations or conform to specific requirements. This often means that the product is sent to a aboratory to determine its characteristics against a standard or a specification. For the manufacturer or suppier, choosing a technicay competent aboratory minimises the risk of producing or suppying a fauty product. Avoid expensive retesting Testing of products and materias can be expensive and time consuming, even when they are done correcty the first time. If not done correcty, then the cost and time invoved in re-testing can be even higher if the product has faied to meet specifications or expectations. Not ony do costs go up, but your reputation as a suppier or manufacturer can go down. You can aso be hed iabe for any faiure of your product, particuary if it invoves pubic safety or financia oss to a cient. Choosing a technicay competent aboratory minimises the chance of retesting being required. Enhance your customers confidence Confidence in your product is enhanced if cients know it has been thoroughy tested by an independent, competent testing faciity. This is particuary so if you can demonstrate to them that the aboratory itsef has been assessed by a third party. Increasingy customers are reying on independent evidence, rather than simpy accepting a suppier s word that the product is fit for purpose. Reduce costs and improve acceptance of your goods overseas Through a system of internationa agreements (see beow) technicay competent, accredited aboratories receive a form of internationa recognition, which aows their data to be more readiy accepted on overseas markets. This recognition heps to reduce costs for manufacturers and exporters that have their products or materias tested in accredited aboratories, by reducing or eiminating the need for retesting in the importing country. goba trust Testing Caibration Inspection

4 What if the aboratory has ISO 9001 certification? Laboratories can be audited and certified to an internationa management systems standard caed ISO This standard is widey used in manufacturing and service organisations to evauate their system for managing the quaity of their product or service. Certification of an organisation s quaity management systems against ISO 9001 aims at confirming the compiance of the management system to this standard, but does not specificay evauate the technica competence of a aboratory. How then can you be sure that a aboratory is technicay competent? Throughout the word, many countries rey on a process caed aboratory accreditation as a means of determining technica competence. Accreditation uses criteria and procedures specificay deveoped to determine technica competence. Speciaist technica assessors conduct a thorough evauation of a factors in a aboratory that affect the production of test or caibration data. The criteria are based on the internationay accepted standards ISO/IEC 17025, or ISO for medica aboratories which are used for evauating aboratories throughout the word. Accreditation bodies use this standard specificay to assess factors reevant to a aboratory s abiity to produce precise, accurate test and caibration data, incuding the: technica competence of staff vaidity and appropriateness of test methods traceabiity of measurements and caibrations to nationa standards suitabiity, caibration and maintenance of test equipment testing environment samping, handing and transportation of test items quaity assurance of test and caibration data Accreditation aso covers the quaity systems eements addressed in ISO 9001 certification. To ensure continued compiance, accredited aboratories are reguary re-examined to check that they are maintaining their standards of technica expertise. These aboratories may aso be required to participate in reguar proficiency testing programs as an on-going demonstration of their competence. goba trust Testing Caibration Inspection

5 Accreditation thus provides a means of evauating the competence of aboratories to perform specific types of testing, measurement and caibration. It aso aows a aboratory to determine whether it is performing its work correcty and to appropriate standards. Manufacturing organisations may aso use aboratory accreditation to ensure the testing of their products by their own in-house aboratories is being done correcty. Many industries, from environmenta, cinica, chemica, construction, forensic science, eectrica and food sectors, routiney specify aboratory accreditation for suppiers of testing or caibration services. Accreditation provides forma recognition that aboratories are competent thus providing a ready means for customers to find reiabe testing and caibration services abe to meet their needs. How can you te if a aboratory is accepted? Accredited aboratories usuay issue test or caibration reports bearing some type of symbo or endorsement indicating their accreditation. You shoud aso check with the aboratory as to what specific tests or measurements they are accredited for, and for what ranges or uncertainties. This is normay specified in their Scope of Accreditation, which may be suppied by the aboratory upon request. Accreditation bodies in many countries pubish ists or directories of the aboratories they have accredited, together with aboratories contact detais and information on their testing capabiities. If necessary, you can contact the accreditation body and find out whether there are any accredited aboratories who can perform the tests or caibrations you require. To find out if your country has one or more aboratory accreditation bodies visit the ILAC website at goba trust Testing Caibration Inspection

6 What about data from overseas aboratories? Many countries around the word have one or more organisations responsibe for the accreditation of their nation s aboratories. Most of these accreditation bodies have adopted ISO/IEC as the basis for accrediting their country s testing and caibration aboratories or ISO for accrediting medica aboratories (refer to separate brochure). This has heped countries empoy a uniform approach to determining aboratory competence. It has aso encouraged aboratories to adopt internationay accepted testing and measurement practices, where possibe. This uniform approach aows countries to estabish agreements among themseves, based on mutua evauation and acceptance of each other s aboratory accreditation systems. Such internationa agreements, caed mutua recognition arrangements (MRAs), are crucia in enabing test data to be accepted between these countries. In effect, each partner in such an MRA recognises the other partner s accredited aboratories as if they themseves had undertaken the accreditation of the other partner s aboratories. Over 90 aboratory accreditation bodies have signed a muti-atera recognition agreement, caed the ILAC arrangement, which greaty enhances the acceptance of data across the nationa borders of the signatory countries. Fu detais for the ILAC Arrangement and the ist of signatories can be found on the ILAC website at This system of internationa MRAs between accreditation bodies has enabed accredited aboratories to achieve a form of internationa recognition, and aowed data accompanying exported goods to be more readiy accepted on overseas markets. This effectivey reduces costs for both the manufacturer and the importers, as it reduces or eiminates the need for products to be retested in another country. Countries without viabe accreditation systems can seek to have their aboratories accredited by estabished accreditation systems, so that their test data and associated goods can be accepted on foreign markets. These countries can aso endeavour to deveop their own accreditation system based on the structure and experience of estabished systems in other countries. goba trust Testing Caibration Inspection

7 More information about ILAC ILAC faciitates trade and supports reguators by operating a wordwide mutua recognition arrangement the ILAC Arrangement among Accreditation Bodies (ABs) in order that the data and test resuts issued by aboratories and inspection bodies, coectivey known as Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), accredited by ILAC Accreditation Body members are accepted gobay. Thereby, technica barriers to trade, such as the re-testing of products each time they enter a new economy is reduced, in support of reaising the free-trade goa of accredited once, accepted everywhere. In addition, accreditation reduces risk for business and its customers by assuring that accredited CABs are competent to carry out the work they undertake within their scope of accreditation. Further, the resuts from accredited faciities are used extensivey by reguators for the pubic benefit in the provision of services that promote an unpouted environment, safe food, cean water, energy, heath and socia care services. ABs that are members of ILAC and the CABs they accredit are required to compy with appropriate internationa standards and the appicabe ILAC appication documents for the consistent appication of those standards. ILAC is the goba association for the accreditation of aboratories, inspection bodies, proficiency testing providers and reference materia producers, with a membership consisting of accreditation bodies and stakehoder organisations throughout the word. It is a representative organisation that is invoved with: the deveopment of accreditation practices and procedures, the promotion of accreditation as a trade faciitation too, supporting the provision of oca and nationa services, the assistance of deveoping accreditation systems, the recognition of competent testing (incuding medica) and caibration aboratories, inspection bodies, proficiency testing providers and reference materia producers around the word. ILAC activey cooperates with other reevant internationa organisations in pursuing these aims. ABs having signed the ILAC Arrangement are subject to peer evauation via formay estabished and recognised regiona cooperation bodies using ILAC rues and procedures prior to becoming a signatory to the ILAC Arrangement. goba trust Testing Caibration Inspection

8 Internationa Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation The ILAC website provides a range of information on topics covering accreditation, conformity assessment, trade faciitation, as we as the contact detais of members. Further information to iustrate the vaue of accredited conformity assessment to reguators and the pubic sector through case studies and independent research can aso be found at: For more information contact: The ILAC Secretariat PO Box 7507 Siverwater NSW 2128 Austraia Phone: Emai: iac@nata.com.au Website: Copyright ILAC 2015 ILAC encourages the authorised reproduction of its pubications, or parts thereof, by organisations wishing to use such materia for areas reated to education, standardisation, accreditation, or other purposes reevant to ILAC s area of expertise or endeavour. The document in which the reproduced materia appears must contain a statement acknowedging ILAC s contribution to the document. goba trust Testing Caibration Inspection