My company is going to attempt to get 17025 accredited by A2LA.
In looking at their traceability requirements I see that my standards need accredted certs but what about other things like filters, couplers used to combine signals, attenuators that are used as pads or compensated out by the test procedure, signal sources that are monitored by power meter & splitters. or otherwise characterized.
At what point can I begin testing some of my standards in house? Naturally there are multiple traceability paths out of our facitlity for various parameters but a lot of what I'm seeing is that my certs need the A2LA logo. Procedures & standards are the same on several of the items we have had tested so far.
Anybody know of an Accreditation for Dummies book? Thanks
I don't know about dummies, but there looks to be some decent stuff on amazon here:
Laboratory Accreditation books (http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=a2la%20Accreditation&tag=goodwincentra-20&index=books&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325)<img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=goodwincentra-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
Quote from: Hoopty on 09-06-2007 -- 15:22:50
I don't know about dummies, but there looks to be some decent stuff on amazon here:
Laboratory Accreditation books (http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=a2la%20Accreditation&tag=goodwincentra-20&index=books&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325)<img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=goodwincentra-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
Thanks Hoopty I could use this too.
Bryan
Don't get hooked on just the A2LA logo on the certs. We keep up with what are the current signatories. You can also accept LAB, ACLASS and NVLAP certs.
From our first step to our being accedited it was approximately 15 months to get everything in place. Since then we have had 6 audits and you learn a little more each time, and generally the assesors are very helpful.
This week's audit was give and take with our assesors, we gained information and they gained information.
If you have questions, just ask.
Unfortunately I have not found any "Accreditation for Dummies". But since you are going to be accredited by A2LA, you should get really familiar with their website; their guiding documents, policies, programs, and requirements.
Also you can find much guidance on the net. Google is a really cool tool. A2LA has a good ISO/IEC 17025 General Requirements course and also one for Measurement Uncertainty.
Performing calibrations on your own equipment falls under T9. And you define what you calibrate and what you send out.
You can still calibrate your own equipment without worrying about the accredited logo. After your lab becomes accredited you will have until the next calibration due date to re-calibrate your equipment with the accredited logo (providing the equipment falls under your lab's scope of accreditation).
My lab has been accredited for the past 10 years. Feel free to ask me any questions about laboratory accreditation to ISO 17025:2005, ok?
*removed a bunch of stuff*
*looks around nervousily for auditors*
:roll: :-D
Had to remove what I WAS going to write. Never know where those auditors are lurking.
As far as filters,couplers,splitters,etc., As long as the subject in question is monitored by accredited standards,then they do not have to be accredited themselves.I.E. a power splitter is monitored on both outputs by power sensors attached to power meters.A generator supplies the input.As long as the sensors,meters,and sig gen is accredited,then the splitter does not have to be accredited.