ISO/IEC 17025 and its power

What is ISO/IEC 17025?

ISO/IEC 17025:2005 is a general requirement for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, a standard in quality management system applied specifically for testing and calibration laboratories, issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

This is a standard that has been accumulated with years of experience in seeking a common standard for management systems for testing/calibration laboratories to ensure the most reliable measurement/test results.

ISO/IEC 17025 is designed to incorporate ISO 9001 - a quality management system, so ISO/IEC 17025 does not only provide requirements for management and technical competence assurance. but it also includes requirements about quality management systems to deliver highly reliable and internationally recognized measurement/testing results.

ISO/IEC 17025 certifiers in the world and in Vietnam

- Around the world, certification bodies (signed ILAC) include the EA, the APLAC, the SADCA, and the IAAC.

- In Australia, there are "National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) (1947)" and "TELARC" in New Zealand (1973).

- In the United States, there are a number of multi-disciplines accreditation bodies including: NVLAP program, “Crime Laboratory Inspection Council” of the American Laboratory Association (ASCLD-LAB).

- In Canada, the accreditation of calibration laboratories is a joint responsibility of the "Standards Council of Canada (SCC) Program.

- In Vietnam, AOSC is a third-party accreditation organization born in the spirit of socializing scientific and technological activities. AOSC or Accreditation Office For Standards Conformity Assessment Capacity (AOSC) is a technological and scientific organization under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, established and licensed in 2014 by the Ministry of Science and Technology. The AOSC office is the second unit in Vietnam to sign an ILAC-MRA mutual recognition agreement for an international standardized calibration and laboratory accreditation program.

Technical requirements

Laboratories meeting ISO/IEC 17025 must satisfy many categories.

Regarding the environment, there are the following criteria:

- Industrial hygiene.

- Prevent contamination.

- Temperature and humidity.

- Ventilation.

- Noise level.

- Vibration and radiation.

- Isolation of hazardous samples.

- Lighting conditions.

- Convenient in manipulation ...

In term of testing / calibration method

This is one of the factors that determine the accuracy of test results. In the near future, there will be no more laboratories using customized methods, and application of international methods becomes a common trend in the world.

In terms of measurement uncertainty

ISO / IEC 17025 specifies "Laboratories should have and apply procedures for determining uncertainty".

In terms of equipment

Equipment according to ISO / IEC 17025 needs to be suitable for its intended use and for the test/calibration methods, to have the appropriate sensitivity to reach the limit of detection, and to give a suitable reproducibility. result. Equipment should be well maintained and calibrated in stages so that there is always evidence of their stability.

Staff requirements

- ISO/IEC 17025 staff must meet the following conditions:

+ Appropriate qualifications and/or experience.

+ Master the procedures and methods of testing, recognize the basic principles and understand the scientific basis of the method.

+ Ability to evaluate test results according to functions and tasks in the organization structure, responsible for these results.

+ Knowing quality assurance procedures and in your capacity take effective corrective action.

Management requirements

- Similar to ISO 9001: 2008, ISO.IEC 17025: 2005 also has basic requirements in the categories of Document Control, Profile Control, Non-conformity Control, Internal Audit, Corrective action, Preventive action, management review. In addition, ISO / IEC 17025 also contains requirements for the control of technical records.

ISO/IEC 17025:2017 stamp

ISO 17025 comes with the following advantages:

- Create the foundation for quality products: "A good management system will create good quality products"

- Increase competitiveness

+ In order to manufacture a product/equipment to a particular standard, the machine tools that make it must be calibrated or tested. Testing must be conducted by 17025 Accredited Laboratory, only then will the product/equipment be declared compliant with the respective ISO standard.

+ Therefore, the lab certified to meet ISO / IEC 17025: 2017 standard has sufficient technical capacity, facilities, and human resource requirements to perform calibration and testing of equipment. Skill. And at the same time, the results of the calibration process are also recognized by the competent authorities around the world. The laboratory's reputation and influence on the international arena have also been raised to new heights.

- Increase the reputation of the quality of the laboratory.

About EMIN's Calibration - Verification - Repair center

EMIN Vietnam’s Calibration and Verification center has been established since 2020 to provide after-sales services. The Calibration and Verification center is thoroughly equipped with technical equipment, followed by the assistance from various equipment manufacturers around the globe. At the center, calibration of specialized equipment is successfully carried out by experienced engineers in EMIN Vietnam, ensuring fast, accurate, reliable procedure to meet the most demanding customers’ requirements). Such technical capacity can only be performed by very few technology businesses in Vietnam. Meanwhile, after tireless effort, the Calibration and Verification center of EMIN Vietnam is officially certified to be accredited by the ISO 17025 standard (Jan, 2021)

If you want your instruments calibrated, please contact:

Equipment Verification - Calibration - Repair Service Center - EMIN Vietnam JSC 

Address: No 11, Hoang Cau Moi Street, Trung Liet Ward Dong Da District, Hanoi

Email: services@emin.vn - Hotline: 0968.060.220

For further information about ISO/IEC 17025:2017 certified calibration service, click here.