Use of the new international laboratory standard should assure greater consistency between laboratories, testing and calibration
DANIEL D. HOOLIHAN
THE FIRST EDITION of ISO/IEC 17025 was released in 1999 and the Second Edition was released in 2005. Both editions of 17025 rely heavily on an earlier version of a similar international document; ISO/IEC Guide 25:1990 – General Requirements for the Technical Competence of Testing Laboratories. ISO 9001:2000 – Quality Management Systems – Requirements.
The Second Edition is considered to be a technical revision, and it replaces the First Edition in its entirety.12 May 2007—for accredited laboratories to comply with the new standard’s requirements.ISO/IEC 17025 as a basis for accrediting EMC laboratories. It is a definite advantage for a lab to be accredited since its test results are more readily accepted by various government and commercial entities; for example, the use of a Declaration of Conformity for electronic products for United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval. The Second Edition of 17025 was released in May of 2005 and its clauses reflect the material carried in ISO 9001:2000 – Quality Management Systems – Requirements. The Second Edition is considered to be a technical revision, and it replaces the First Edition in its entirety.
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) body has set a transition period of two years from the date of publication of the new edition—that is, 12 May 2007—for accredited laboratories to comply with the new standard’s requirements.
The standard contains all requirements necessary for a calibration or a testing laboratory to show competence in its specific technical arena. It contains both management and technical requirements, and it is an essential piece of the complete program to assure a laboratory’s competence.
Accrediting bodies such as the United States Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), and the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) use ISO/IEC 17025 as a basis for accrediting EMC laboratories. It is a definite advantage for a lab to be accredited since its test results are more readily accepted by various government and commercial entities; for example, the use of a Declaration of Conformity for electronic products for United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval.
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