Organisation of proficiency schemes by testing and calibration laboratories

Accreditation and Quality Assurance - Each year, an increasing demand for proficiency testing is seen in the world. Participating in this type of activity has been adopted by testing and...     

Correction to: Motivations,benefits and challenges on ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation of higher education institution laboratories

Accreditation and Quality Assurance - Unfortunately, figure 3 was incorrectly published in the original publication and the correct version is updated here.     

Implementation of a quality management system in university test laboratories: a brief review and new proposals

Quality management systems are difficult to implement in university laboratories involved in teaching activities, R&D and provision of testing services, because of their peculiar characteristics. Testing services are not a priority, the performance of professionals is measured based on their teaching activities and publications, and the laboratories are shared with research and teaching activities. Hard efforts were made all around the world to overcome some of these difficulties. This paper analyzes the process of implementing a quality management system according to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard at two laboratories of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil. Some new solutions to solve the main problems typically originated on this type of environment are presented and compared with reports from the literature. It was concluded that it is perfectly possible for university laboratories to have their tests accredited according to standard ISO/IEC 17025, respecting their peculiarities and adopting creative solutions that meet the characteristics and the needs of each institution.     

Influence of probability distribution in measurement uncertainty of plane-strain fracture toughness test

Accreditation and Quality Assurance - The evaluation of measurement uncertainty by testing laboratories has a direct impact on the interpretation of the results. In several cases, it is recommended...     

Current American landscape in laboratory accreditation according to ISO/IEC 17025

Accreditation and Quality Assurance - The number of laboratories worldwide seeking accreditation has increased considerably in the last years. These laboratories are from different institutions,...     

Proficiency tests for laboratories: a systematic review

Laboratories analytical results must be reliable. Proficiency tests (PT) main objective is to provide independent demonstrations of laboratory competence. The demand for these activities is increasing on the world scenario, as well as its importance. The main objective of this study is to identify the important publications of the PT theme from 2005 to 2012 based on a systematic review procedure. The method proposed reached a total of 113 papers published in indexed journals and another 34 additional references, including standards, guidelines and recommendations of international or regional accreditation body cooperation, international standards organization and international metrological institutes. All selected references were clustered based on its approach, and then the main practices were presented. The approaches identified were related to performance assessment, calculation method for performance assessment, use of PT for validation and/or estimation of measurement uncertainty and management of PT. Results indicate some opportunities to develop researches, such as: project management related to PT, the importance of analyses of data probability distribution function when consensus value is used, criteria to select the parameter to homogeneity and stability tests and to explore the link between PT, method validation and measurement uncertainty, among others.     

Analysis of the relationships between proficiency testing,validation of methods and estimation of measurement uncertainty: a qualitative study with experts

Proficiency testing (PT) is an important part in the process ensuring quality of results. Validation of methods and estimation of measurement uncertainty are also vital elements in a laboratory qualification process. The main objective of this paper is to identify the relationships between PT, validation of methods and calculation of measurement uncertainty through the drawing up of a Mind Map. The method proposed used the Web-based Delphi method to conduct a qualitative research with experts of the area (laboratory assessors and accreditation body members). Experts from five accreditation bodies (Brazil, USA, France, Portugal and China) took part in the research. The study led to the drawing up of a Mind Map showing the connections of cause and effect between the factors under study. It emerged that PT effectively contributes to the reliability of results, since it is directly related to the validation of methods and to measurement uncertainty, so as to increase laboratory’s competitiveness.     

A process approach to ISO/IEC 17025 in the implementation of a quality management system in testing laboratories

The introduction of quality management systems (QMS) and the accreditation of laboratories according to ISO/IEC 17025 standard are not easy tasks, mainly for those laboratories located at teaching and research institutions. During the implementation of QMS at two testing laboratories of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, new solutions to overcome some of the difficulties inherent to this type of environment have been found. The knowledge acquired through this work has led to the proposition of some general steps incorporating a process approach presented in this article, which could be of use to laboratories in their pursuit for accreditation. This proposal suggests the use of strategic planning information, links the QMS objectives to the corresponding processes and sets a few indicators to monitor both performance of and improvements to the system.