ISO/IEC 17025 as part of laboratory quality
Overview
ISO/IEC 17025 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories is the main ISO standard used by testing and calibration laboratories. In most major countries, ISO/IEC 17025 is the standard for which most labs must hold accreditation in order to be deemed technically competent. In many cases, suppliers and regulatory authorities will not accept test or calibration results from a lab that is not accredited.
Implementing ISO/IEC 17025 as part of laboratory quality initiatives provides both laboratory and business benefits such as:
- Enhancing customer satisfaction by creating a customer-focused environment that is open to feedback (including complaints), resolving any complaints received, and enhancing the organization’s ability to improve its product and customer service;
- Top management involvement and commitment through adequate acquisition and deployment of resources, including personnel training;
- Providing complainants with an open, effective, and easy-to-use complaints process
- Analysing and evaluating complaints in order to improve the product and customer service quality
- auditing of the complaints-handling process
- A culture of continuous improvement
- Reviewing the effectiveness and efficiency of the complaints-handling process.
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The standard is for any organization that wishes to implement an efficient customer services system and wishes to excel in this field regardless of their size and the nature of their business be it the private or the public sector.
- Having access to more contracts for testing and/or calibration. Some public and private organizations only give contracts to accredited laboratories.
- Accreditation will also help to get more contracts from organizations that don’t mandate accreditation, but do give preference to accredited laboratories in competitive situations.
- Improved national and global reputation and image of the laboratory.
- Continually improving data quality and laboratory effectiveness.
- Having a basis for most other quality systems related to laboratories, such as Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Laboratory Practices.
