The Importance of Choosing An Accredited Calibration Laboratory

October 13, 2020

Accreditation provides the underlying assurance that organizations are adhering to internationally recognized standards. For calibration and testing laboratories, that standard is ISO/IEC 17025. Accrediting bodies use ISO 17025 standard to specifically assess factors such as, staff competence, validity of test methods, traceability of measurements and calibrations to national standards, appropriateness and conditions of testing environment, sampling and handling of test items, maintenance of equipment and quality assurance of data.

The Standard ensures that when an assessment is conducted, laboratories can show that they have appropriate protocols in place; they have the appropriate personnel; the right equipment; their environmental conditions are stable; and they have supporting data for the tests and calibrations that they are performing. ISO 17025 Standard is a competency standard – it is a way for customers and regulators to know that they are using a competent laboratory.

When choosing a laboratory for maintenance of your equipment and instrumentation, it is essential to look for a lab that can meet your needs and also give you accurate results.

Under ISO/IEC 17025, a laboratory's competence is assured via an on-site assessment process and participation in applicable Proficiency Testing programs. The on-site assessment process is a thorough examination of the laboratory’s Management System and Quality System. All the quality system elements addressed in ISO 9001 certification are covered. All the technical factors necessary for producing quality data are also examined, including:

• technical competence of staff

• validity and appropriateness of test methods

• suitability, calibration and maintenance of test equipment

• quality assurance of test and calibration data

• records and documents

When you receive a calibration certificate from a laboratory, it is important to look for the logo of the body that accredited it. The logo, as well as the certificate of accreditation number, provided on the certificate of calibration gives you peace of mind that the laboratory is a trusted supplier of calibration services.

Benefits of using an Accredited calibration lab

1) Technically competent personnel - Accrediting bodies closely observe laboratory personnel to ensure that they understand how to operate the equipment and how the equipment affects the calibration results

2) Confidence in calibration results - Accredited laboratories are required to meet the highest industry standard, ISO 17025

3) Minimal risk factors - When equipment and instrumentation is properly maintained, risks of calibration inaccuracy are minimal

4) Equipment traceability through NIST - Accreditation requires that all the equipment used to calibrate items must be traceable through an unbroken chain of calibrations.

5) Monitored Lab Enviornment - The assessment process ensures that the labs environment does not invalidate the results of calibrations or adversely affect the required quality of a measurement

6) Required measurement uncertainty - Accredited labs are required to calculate measurement uncertainty for each parameter. This is required to be listed on the labs scope of accreditation.

General Tech Services LLC offers accredited calibration services for dimensional calibration, temperature calibration, humidity calibration, electrical calibration, pressure calibration, volume calibration, torque calibration, force calibration and mass calibration. As customers you’ll be able to trust that the services you receive are accurate, repeatable, and traceable. The entire scope of General Tech Services is under IEC 17025 is appended in our website www.generaltech.ae.

So if you are considering accreditation to ISO 17025, please get in contact with us on 0097165436933 or email us at mathews@generaltechuae.com . Visit our website for more details at www.generaltech.ae and for product info visit our webstore www.generaltechshop.com.

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