What does laboratory technical competency mean with regards to accreditation with ISO/IEC 17025 standard?

Laboratory accreditation process is a means of determining technical competence. Accreditation uses criteria and procedures specifically developed to determine technical competence. The criteria are based on ISO/IEC 17025 which are used for evaluating laboratories throughout the world:

  • Technical competence of staff
  • Validity and appropriateness of test methods
  • Traceability of measurements and calibrations to national standards
  • Suitability, calibration and maintenance of test equipment
  • Testing environment
  • Sampling, handling and transportation of test items
  • Quality assurance of test and calibration data

MP Laboratory is only accredited to ISO/IEC 17025: 2017 standard, however my company is requiring my vendor to be ISO 9001 Certified. Does MP need to have separate certification?

No, it is no longer necessary. MP Calibration Labs accredited under ISO/IEC 17025: 2017 does not need to be certified under ISO 9001 since the requirements of this standard are already covered by ISO/IEC 17025: 2017 as defined in Clause 8, Management system requirements.

Being an accredited laboratory means we have demonstrated compliance of all the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17025: 2017 so as covering the requirements of ISO 9001 which is embedded in the standard.

How can I tell if the calibration laboratory is accredited?

MP’s accredited calibration laboratories issue calibration reports showing ANAB symbol with ILAC-MRA symbol combined as endorsement indicating their accreditation. You may check MP Laboratory’s calibration capability on the Scope of Accreditation published in ANAB (Accrediting Body) website and MP Website.

MP Laboratories Scope of Accreditation

Learn More About Accreditation

MP Laboratory is not accredited by the national accrediting body in the country of their operation, is their accreditation acceptable?

Yes. Many countries around the world have one or more organizations responsible for the accreditation of their nation’s laboratories. Most of these accreditation bodies have adopted ISO/IEC 17025 as the basis for accrediting their country’s testing and calibration laboratories. This has helped countries employ a uniform approach to determining laboratory competence. This uniform approach allows countries to establish agreements among themselves, based on mutual evaluation and acceptance of each other’s laboratory accreditation systems. Such international agreements, called mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs), are crucial in enabling test data to be accepted between these countries. Over 90 laboratory accreditation bodies have signed a multi-lateral recognition agreement, called the ILAC arrangement, which greatly enhances the acceptance of data across the national borders of the signatory countries. This system of international MRAs between accreditation bodies has enabled accredited laboratories to achieve a form of international recognition, and allowed data accompanying exported goods to be more readily accepted on overseas markets.

Source: https://ilac.org