It is an international and specialized standard for test and calibration laboratories, focusing on the accreditation of these laboratories. ISO 17025 standard specifies the general requirements for the competence to conduct tests or calibration and also sampling by laboratories.
Application of ISO 17025 standard
ISO 17025 is an international standard that specifies the general requirements for the competence to conduct tests or calibrations, as well as sampling. This standard is aimed at ensuring the quality and accuracy of the procedures and results of testing and calibration laboratories. The international standard ISO 17025 covers standard methods, non-standard methods, and methods developed by laboratories that are used in the execution of testing and calibration. This standard ensures that these various methods are applied correctly and effectively to achieve reliable and accurate results.
ISO 17025 is an international standard providing guidelines for all organizations performing testing and calibration. This standard is applicable to various types of laboratories, including first-party, second-party, and those where testing forms a part of product certification and inspection. It sets out criteria to ensure the quality and accuracy of testing and calibration performed by these organizations.
What is the ISO 17025 standard? The international ISO 17025 standard is applicable to all laboratories, regardless of the number of personnel in the organization or the scope of testing or calibration activities.
The international standard ISO 17025 is recommended for use by laboratories that are creating quality, operational and technical systems for their activities.
The need to pay attention and implement the ISO standard 17025
If test and calibration laboratories meet the requirements of this international standard, they implement a quality system for their testing and calibration activities that also meets the requirements of ISO 9001. This international standard covers several technical requirements that are not covered by ISO 9001.
The ISO 17025 laboratory quality system is designed and implemented with the goal of establishing an independent and quality-based management system. This standard enables laboratories to offer their services to customers with the highest quality. It also ensures that all managerial, technical, and specialized activities are conducted optimally. By obtaining national or international certificates and accreditations, laboratories can demonstrate their competence and qualifications to service recipients and stakeholders.
ISO 17020 standard
ISO 17020 serves as a practical tool for evaluating inspection companies by the National Accreditation Center of Iran. Like other conformity assessment standards, ISO 17020 significantly aids inspection companies in systematically documenting and implementing their ongoing processes in a targeted manner.
ISO 17020 is widely used around the world, including in Iran, and creates a clear difference in the processes of companies that have implemented it compared to those that have not yet entered this field.
In Iran, as in other countries, obtaining accreditation from relevant authorities (in Iran: the National Accreditation Center of Iran for ISO 17020) is considered a unique advantage for securing projects or succeeding in tenders. For this reason, recently, a significant number of companies have been motivated to implement the ISO 17020 standard within their structure solely for this purpose.
ISO 17020 standard
Auditing and issuing certificates is always done with the goal of creating confidence. Organizations understand the value of ISO international standards and by obtaining a certificate, they ensure that they have correctly followed the standard. However, how can one be sure about the auditor or the certifying entity?
ISO has developed a standard that provides international requirements for certifying organizations and auditors. ISO 17021 (Conformity Assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems) not only increases confidence and trust in the activities of certifying companies but is also effective in improving work processes.
ISO 17021 specifies requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems. This standard sets general requirements for bodies that conduct audit and certification in areas related to quality, environment, and other types of management systems. Such entities are referred to as certifying bodies. The purpose of adhering to these requirements is to ensure that certifying bodies conduct the certification of management systems in a competent, consistent, and impartial manner. This facilitates the recognition of these bodies and the acceptance of their certifications on a national and international basis. This part of the Iran-ISO-IEC 17021 standard serves as a foundation for facilitating the recognition of management system certification in relation to international trade.
ISO 17021 is the first conformity assessment standard prepared by CASCO and includes a complete section on “rules”. This section defines objectives that must be observed in the audit and certification process to ensure a reliable market and to attract customer trust towards the organization’s management system. Among these rules are aspects such as impartiality, competence, responsibility, honesty, confidentiality, and responsiveness to complaints. These are not requirements in themselves, but are fundamental to the characteristics included in the standard.
This standard addresses the credibility of third-party organizations issuing certificates. It has 13 specific requirements that ensure the activities of a certification company, its auditors, and other personnel are free from any conflicts of interest. This standard also includes parts of the IAF (International Accreditation Forum) guidelines regarding the competence of certifying companies and places special emphasis on the members of the audit team. The process of these requirements ensures that the selected auditor for each specific client is sufficiently qualified.