When you’re looking for a laboratory to handle your equipment’s testing and calibration needs, it’s crucial to find one with ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation. This set of standards shows that a lab complies with strict industry regulations and can deliver accurate, reliable results for you. Since any calibration service should be highly accurate to ensure your equipment performs at its best, you’ll only want to trust a lab with an ISO 17025 certification for your equipment — such as Garber Metrology.
Find out more about ISO 17025 requirements, why accreditation for labs is important and other frequently asked questions.
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 is an international standard that outlines how testing and calibration laboratories can demonstrate competent operations as accredited facilities.
As the latest set of general requirements from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), this standard establishes a laboratory’s impartiality, consistent operation and competence. ISO 17025 applies to any and all organizations conducting laboratory activities, no matter how many personnel the lab employs.
Due to the ISO’s status as a world-renowned organization, laboratories in many countries must hold an ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation to demonstrate:
To pass ISO 17025 certification, a lab must operate under a quality management system with the resources, equipment and qualified staff to consistently produce valid results. The ISO 17025 standard consists of five main parts designed to help a lab achieve accreditation. These primary sections include general, resource, management system, process and structural requirements.
The general requirements of ISO 17025 check for a lab’s impartiality regarding their management, responsibilities, risk identification, risk mitigation and activities. This section also covers confidentiality related to customer information, personnel obligations and information originating from other sources.
A lab’s structural requirements refer to its legal status and the identification of laboratory management. It also covers the scope of laboratory activities, defining the documented procedures and range of operations conducted on laboratory premises.
The resources section of ISO 17025 requires a lab to have the appropriate available resources to perform various activities. This section also covers personnel, equipment, environmental and facility conditions and metrological traceability.
A lab’s process requirements begin with the review of contracts, tenders and requests. This section also focuses on the selection and verification of various methods, method validation, sampling and the handling of calibration or test items. Process requirements also cover the evaluation of measurement uncertainty, technical records, standard report requirements, result validity and complaints, among many other important criteria.
Finally, ISO/IEC 17025 covers management system requirements, such as system options. This section discusses policies, objections, competence, laboratory management, management system access, document control processes, record retention, and audit requirements.
An effective management system also contains information on record controls, including criteria for management system document control, record control, proper risk and opportunity actions, corrective actions, management reviews and internal audits.
Proving the accuracy of laboratory work would be impossible without international standards that outline industry-accepted practices. Because of this, ISO 17025 accreditation is one of the most important certifications for any laboratory to have. Achieving accreditation can provide several advantages to labs that they can pass on to their customers.
Below, we’ll review some of the benefits of receiving ISO 17025 certification for labs and their customers.
ISO 17025 is recognized nationally and internationally, making it vital for any laboratory to have if they want to do business. Certification can boost a lab’s reputation within its industry, increasing its credibility among customers and shareholders.
Accreditation also improves a lab’s reputation by showcasing its ability to deliver reliable calibration, measurement and testing services. As a result, a lab’s customers can know it will provide high-quality results.
Meeting ISO 17025 requirements can increase a laboratory’s overall productivity and efficiency. While it can take some time to become ISO 17025 compliant, the efficiency benefits following the implementation of these standards far outweigh the time it takes to implement them.
These compliance standards require a laboratory to constantly evaluate its methods, equipment and staff procedures, which will make it more likely to find accurate results faster. These standards also help labs better define their staff’s roles and increase team members’ accountability. By following various compliance standards, a lab’s staff is more likely to be more productive and perform tasks more efficiently.
Since these standards are so strict, a lab that rises to the challenge and achieves certification can raise its overall performance. The stringency of these standards helps companies raise the bar, resulting in fewer mistakes and greater quality products.
After a laboratory passes, they’ll still need to maintain their ISO 17025. Inspectors will come periodically to check if the laboratory is still complying with standards. Due to these consistent inspections, a lab has ample incentive to maintain high performance over time. As a result, they often produce more reliable and accurate results in the long run without letting standards slip.
Customers want to know that a laboratory follows all relevant legislation and regulatory requirements governing their industry. This compliance shows the customer they won’t run into any legal problems with their equipment in the future and can expect their equipment to work at its best.
ISO 17025 certification demonstrates compliance with relevant regulations. Besides appealing to customers, this accreditation also protects a laboratory from running afoul of rules and requirements that could result in fines or other kinds of legal trouble.
Some laboratories are resistant to achieving ISO 17025 accreditation as they worry it will take too much time and money. However, meeting these standards can result in generating greater savings in terms of money and time by:
Another advantage of attaining an ISO 17025 accreditation is that it can translate to an increase in business — both nationally and internationally. Since ISO 17025 showcases that a lab is complying with regulations, has an excellent industry reputation and can handle tasks efficiently, a customer is more likely to trust an accredited laboratory with their business.
As a lab takes on new clients, they can use their ISO 17025 certification as evidence of their ability to handle key processes correctly and reliably. A lab with accreditation is also more likely to provide better customer service and deliver reliable services, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and raising the chances of returning client business in the future.
Want to know more about ISO 17025 and how it could impact your business? Here are answers to some frequently asked questions.
Laboratories must pay close attention to their equipment’s calibration processes. Poor equipment maintenance leaves the validity of their data up for speculation. To avoid this, labs must showcase a commitment to meeting the necessary ISO calibration standards.
ISO’s standards are trusted and recognized around the world. These consistent benchmarks establish best practices when calibrating mission-critical equipment. For testing and calibration laboratories, ISO 17025 creates consistency for monitoring and measuring practices.
Most obviously, ISO 17025 is for laboratories that want to showcase their commitment to safe and competent operations. This includes:
The most recent ISO 17025 is the third installment of these requirements, with the first version of it appearing in 1999. The 2017 version of the ISO 17025 modified the structure of the general requirement, adding additional requirement sections for all labs to follow.
The primary driving force behind revising the 2005 version of the ISO 17025 came from changing technology and market conditions. For example, the new version accounts for newly developed IT techniques, changes to vocabulary and technical factors. These revised standards also factor in the latest version of ISO 9001, which outlines requirements for effective Quality Management Systems (QMS).
While the ISO 17025 set of requirements is similar to the ISO 9000 standard, ISO 17025 is more specific to laboratories. For example, ISO 17025 is specifically geared toward organizations that create calibration and testing results. This set of requirements has more specific requirements to ensure laboratory competence and has more technical principles underlying its rules.
ISO 9000 is not specific to any one industry, with quality assurance standards that can be applied to help various organizations maintain an efficient quality system.
At Garber Metrology, we know how important it is to be accredited, and we’re proud of our ISO 17025 accreditation through ANAB. Since we offer precision calibration services, we take our certification status very seriously by constantly ensuring the processes, staff members and equipment we rely on meet various ISO 17025 criteria. Due to our commitment to maintaining our certification, our state-of-the-art laboratories can provide highly accurate calibration services to our clients.
Alongside our ISO 17025 certification, we’re also ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994 accredited through ANAB and ISO 9001 registered by NQA. Our many certifications make us a top choice for many companies looking for calibration services. Since we follow these accreditations guidelines, our clients can always expect high-quality, efficient and accurate testing and calibration services.
Achieving ISO 17025 is just one way we showcase our commitment to producing high-quality results. You can trust Garber Metrology to meet your calibration needs. We understand how important it is for our staff and equipment to comply with ISO 17025 criteria, and we ensure all of our services meet the highest standards.
You can send your equipment to our testing calibration laboratories, or we can come to your facility, helping you receive unparalleled calibration services at your convenience.
Explore our precision calibration services today, and contact us if you have any questions or want to receive a free quote.
