| | What is ISO? | What does accreditation mean for laboratory clients
What is ISO?
The ISO is the International Organization for Standardization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It was set up in 1947 to develop international standards for products, processes and systems. In Canada, it is represented by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) in Ottawa. The SCC monitors the conformance of Canadian organizations to ISO standards. The SCC has bilateral agreements with similar organizations throughout the world ensuring that SCC accreditations are recognized everywhere.
The ISO standard for testing laboratories is ISO 17025. To meet the requirements of this standard, laboratories must develop Quality Management Systems (QMS) documented within a QMS Manual. The 25 elements of the standard deal with all aspects of laboratory operation, both managerial and technical. Topics included are: review of requests and contracts; subcontracting of tests; purchasing supplies and services; service to the client; complaints; corrective action; internal audits; test methods; equipment; measurement traceability; handling and transportation of samples; assuring the quality of test results; and reporting the results. Each section has a number of quality requirements that must be met.
The SCC accreditation is directed primarily at individual laboratory tests. The laboratory's QMS and the tests are carefully audited on site by SCC experts at two-year intervals. The accreditation process includes the following steps:
- adoption of a rigorous quality system by the laboratory
- documenting the system in a quality manual
- validation of specific tests for accreditation
- submission of the QMS Manual to SCC
- an on-site audit by SCC experts
- correction of deficiencies found by the auditors
All laboratory work units in the Food Safety Division have completed this process and have tests listed in the organization's Scope of Accreditation which may be viewed at the SCC website, www.scc.ca.
What does accreditation mean for laboratory clients?
Since accreditation to ISO 17025 is recognized globally, both local and international clients of Alberta's animals and animal products can rely on quality results from Food Safety Division Laboratories.
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For more information about ISO or quality assurance, contact Gary Higgs, Quality Assurance Officer.
Adapted from Animal Health Forum - December 2001, Volume 6, Issue 4
by: Gary Higgs, Quality Assurance Officer, Food Safety Division, Edmonton AB |
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