Nowadays, many in-house textile testing laboratories or calibration laboratory wants ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory accreditation. It is a good trend now going on, big industries are trying to attract clients by enhancing the laboratory’s competency with international recognition. When this international recognition comes, we are going to be familiar with those steps. Each accreditation body follows its own accreditation procedures, but these steps are commonly followed by most of the accreditation bodies. In this article, I will provide a step-by-step guide to the ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory accreditation process in the textile testing and apparel industry.
ISO/IEC 17025 is an international standard that is applicable to testing and calibration laboratories. An ISO 17025 accredited testing or calibration laboratory is able to demonstrate that it can perform testing or calibration competently and produce valid test or calibration results, thereby endorsing confidence in its work both countrywide and all around the world.
Testing or calibration laboratories are being assessed against ISO/IEC 17025 internal standards to demonstrate the laboratory’s competence, impartiality, and performance capability. Third-party (Accreditation body like Bangladesh Accreditation Board, NABL, QAI, IAAS, etc.) will provide recognition to the laboratory (testing or calibration) that they are of competence to perform testing or calibration as per the ISO/IEC 17025 requirements. ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratory Accreditation Process in Textile Testing and Apparel in-house lab testing.
What are the advantages of having an ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratory Accreditation Process in Textile Testing?
Recognize Internationally:
This accreditation facilitates cooperation between laboratories (testing or calibration) and other bodies by generating wider acceptance of results between countries. Testing reports and calibration certificates can be accepted from one country to another without the need for further testing, which, in turn, improves international trade. ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for a defined scope is the mechanism that provides consumers with confidence.
Enhance lab efficiency:
We commonly see 3rd party testing laboratories like Bureau Veritas, ITS, SGS, TUV, etc., and calibration laboratories like OTS, whose mainstream business is Testing or calibration services; they are taking ISO/ IEC 17025 accreditation from renowned accreditation bodies, as this accreditation proves their technical competence, as well as it is their clients’ requirements.
If we know the requirements of ISO / IEC 17025 and implement it in the laboratory, it will always give confidence to that laboratory that their testing results and Calibration results are valid, and it will match with any laboratory’s results all around the world.
In Bangladesh, clients give nominations to an individual in-house laboratory as per the individual client’s requirements. If the in-house lab can implement ISO / IEC 17025, it must comply with all clients’ in-house accreditation requirements.
Ensure technical competency and improved testing and calibration accuracy:
ISO/IEC 17025 accredited testing and calibration laboratory test/calibration results are traceable to SI units. By sustaining its process, the laboratory showcases technical competence, instilling client confidence through valid results and continuous enhancement.
Reduce waste from the process and Costing
ISO/IEC 17025 focuses on identifying opportunities for improvement and implementing any required improvement actions. Implementing a standardized ongoing improvement process in testing and calibrations prevents repeated tasks and material wastage. Thus, accreditation benefits to reduce operational cost and time.
8 Steps to get ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratory Accreditation Process in Textile Testing:
Step-1: Application
•Laboratory (Testing or calibration) will apply to Accreditation bodies like Bangladesh Accreditation Board, NABL, QAI, IAAS, etc., as per the accreditation body norms.
•Note: During application, please check that the Accreditation body is an ILAC MRA signatory
Step-2: Appointment of case officer
• The accreditation body will review the application and assign a case office to proceed with the accreditation process.
• The accreditation body will acknowledge the application and case officer.
Step-3: •Adequacy Audit
•This is not onsite audit.
•Accreditation body will review the quality manual, quality assurance procedure, Internal Audit, Management review, PT/ ILC participation which information is being submitted by the laboratory during application.
Step-4: •Pre-Assessment
•Pre-Assessment usually conducted for new laboratory which have not ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation before.
• In Pre-assessment auditor goes onsite and do assessemnt. Normally on Pre-assessment auditors focus on laboratory’s Infrastructure, Equipments, competent people, Internal Audit , Management Review, PT/ILC, Testing / Reference Equipment’s Calibration records, Risk Assessment, Complaints records, CAR/PAR etc.
•Auditors will give non-conformance, Potential Non-conformance or OFI which must have to close before the final assessment within the deadline.
Step-5:•Final Assessment
•Before the final case officier will fix the lead auditor and technical auditor as per the testing or calibration scope.
•Before final assessment, Case offcier fixes the audit schedule with the laboratory.
•Usually Lead Auditor assesses the QMS part of the standards with labraory’s quality manager, and the Technical auditors take witness of the testing or calibration with the testing or calibration concern
•Technical auditors may also assess the QMS portion with technical competency of the laboratory.
•Auditors will give non-conformance, Potential Non-conformance, or OFI
Step-6: •Non-Conformance Clousure
•Laboratory have to take a corrective action plan after root cause analysis for each identified NC, PNC, or OFI.
•Laboratory have to submit the action plan taken with proper objective evidence to the case officer (Accreditation Body)
•Auditor will review the action plan, root cause, and evidence. Auditors have to accept all the action plans and evidence.
Step-7: •Evaluation and Decision by the accreditation committee
•Case officer (accreditation body) arranges a technical review meeting, where they review all the submitted documents from the application to the final assessment NC closing documents.
After finding all submitted documents are satisfactory, team members will recommend the ISO/ IEC 17025 accreditation.
Step-8: •Awarding ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation certificate
•Finally accreditation body will issue the ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation certificate
•Most common accreditation body issue certificate with a validity contains for next 2 years
This ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation facilitates wider acceptance of test results all around the world. Test reports and calibration certificates can be accepted from one country to another without the need for further testing, which, in turn, improves international trade. Textile and apparel industries always expect to get ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratory Accreditation from their customer.
