CC BY
0LABORATORY ACCREDITATION AS A METHOD INCREASED COMPETITIVENESS
Koishiyeva G.Zh.,
International Kazakh-Turkish University named after H.A. Yasawi https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11517352 Аннотация: маколада лаборатория кандай хизматлар курсатишига караб фарк килиши мумкин булган лабораториянинг аккредитацияси тасвирланган. Синов лабораторияларнинг малакасига куйиладиган талаблар куриб чикилади.
Калит сузлар: аккредитация, техник компетенция, синов лабораторияси
Аннотация: В статье изложена аккредитация лаборатории, которая может отличаться в зависимости от того какие услуги предоставляет лаборатория. Рассматриваются требования, предъявляемые к технической компетентности испытательных лабораторий. Ключевые слова: аккредитация, техническая компетентность, испытательная лаборатория.
Abstract: The article describes the accreditation of the laboratory, which may differ depending on what services the laboratory provides. The requirements for the technical competence of testing laboratories are considered.
Keywords: accreditation, technical competence, testing laboratory
Sooner or later, many laboratories set out to become accredited. But not everyone understands why accreditation is needed at all.
In the current market, it is important for service consumers and partners to know that an accredited laboratory is an independent assessment of the integrity, impartiality, and competence in performing certain tasks. Accreditation provides a form of reassurance to manufacturers and consumers that products and services used in everyday life have been tested against national and international standards by conformity assessment bodies. As a result of the accreditation process, suppliers and customers can trust the test reports, calibration certificates, inspection reports, and certificates issued as a result of conformity assessment.
Today, accreditation in Kazakhstan has a number of advantages.
For the state and society, accreditation is an effective tool to support the work of regulatory government bodies through the transfer of functions for assessing the competence of NCAs. Accreditation ensures the competitiveness of domestic products, creates conditions for their entry into foreign markets, and helps eliminate technical barriers to trade.
For consumers, accreditation serves as a tool to protect their interests and provides assurance of appropriate quality of products, processes, services, and measurement accuracy.
For businesses, accreditation is an important tool for decision making and risk management. Organizations can save time and money by choosing an accredited and therefore competent service provider. Precise measurements and tests performed by accreditation entities in accordance with the requirements of international standards reduce the possibility of product defects. Through a system of international agreements, accreditation reduces the costs for businesses when exporting their products abroad by reducing or eliminating the need for repeated test in another country.
Some countries, including the USA, Canada, and Japan, believe that there can be any number of accreditation bodies and that the market should regulate their number. The European Union believes that the principle of one country, one accreditation body should be implemented.
In Kazakhstan, accreditation is currently carried out by one state body vested with such powers, the National Accreditation Center. It was created in August 2000. In August 2008, by Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, NCA was designated as Accreditation Body.
Its main goals are:
- accreditation of conformity assessment bodies and laboratories in accordance with international standards;
- creating conditions for recognition of the results of the work of accreditation subjects of the Republic of Kazakhstan by international organizations and foreign countries.
A potential consumer who wants to receive a service in a testing center or a separate laboratory first of all looks at its accreditation, and what the company is guided by when providing the service. Any laboratory, regardless of its form of ownership, that meets the requirements of regulatory documents of the State Certification System of the Republic of Kazakhstan can be accredited. If the outcome of the procedure is positive, information about the laboratory is entered into the register of accredited persons. An entry in the register certifies that the laboratory meets the requirements for it.
In general, accreditation is applicable not only to laboratories. According to GOST ISO/IEC 17011, such a procedure is required for organizations providing conformity assessment services in the following areas: testing, calibration;
certification of management systems, personnel certification, product certification, certification of processes and services; qualification testing; production of standard samples; □ validation and verification.
Depending on the type of activity, accredited entities are required to meet the following standards:
To date, 1,706 entities are registered in the Register of Accreditation Subjects of the Republic of Kazakhstan, including conformity assessment bodies (CAB), management system conformity confirmation bodies (CPC SM), personnel conformity confirmation bodies (PCA P), qualification testing providers (C), testing laboratories (IL), medical laboratories (ML), calibration laboratories (CL), calibration laboratories (CL), legal entities accredited for the right to conduct metrological certification of measurement methods (MVI).
Not all laboratories require accreditation to perform their tasks. Basically, accreditation is necessary for those laboratories whose work results must be recognized by other market participants or the professional community. Such laboratories include testing laboratories, calibration laboratories, calibration laboratories, and analytical laboratories.
When choosing a laboratory for testing, calibration, or measurement, you need to make sure that it can provide reliable, reliable, and correct results.
For testing and calibration laboratories in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the requirements of the international standard ISO/IEC 17025 "General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories" are taken into account. In accordance with the ISO/IEC-17025 standard, accredited laboratories demonstrate their technical competence and compliance with the requirements of the management system, which increases the confidence of both the customer and the business community.
The technical competence of a laboratory depends on a number of factors, including:
• Qualification, training, and experience of personnel
• Healthy equipment - calibrated and properly maintained
• Appropriate quality assurance procedures
• Proper sampling methods
• Relevant test procedures
• Legalized test methods
• Traceability of measurements to national standards
• Reliable registration and reporting procedures
• Suitable test equipment
All these factors increase the technical competence of the laboratory. When accrediting laboratories, specific criteria and procedures are used to determine technical competence to ensure that customers receive accurate and reliable data provided by that laboratory or inspection service. Finally, through a system of international agreements (see below), accredited laboratories acquire an international form of recognition that facilitates the acceptability of their data abroad. This reduces costs for manufacturers and exporters who have their products or materials tested in such laboratories by reducing or eliminating the need for repeated testing in another country.
To recognize tests carried out in Kazakhstan abroad and simplify the export of Kazakhstani products, a special role is given to participation in recognition agreements between accreditation bodies of different countries.
The results of tests carried out in a laboratory take on greater significance if the laboratory is accredited by an accreditation body that is a member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC MRA). The ILAC Agreement has been signed by more than 100 accreditation bodies, including accreditation bodies from Germany, France, Great Britain, USA, China, Japan, Canada, Australia, India, Brazil, etc.
The most well-known and recognized organizations for laboratory accreditation at the international level are the following:
Each accredited analytical laboratory, in accordance with the requirements of GOST ISO/IEC 17025, must have its own QMS developed taking into account the specifics of the laboratory.
Compliance with the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17025 standard is one of the most important accreditation criteria. The criteria themselves are determined by the availability of qualified personnel in laboratories, the necessary measuring instruments, and testing; premises with appropriate environmental conditions; documented operating procedures; regulatory and methodological test documents, etc.
Let us look at some types of requirements and rules.
Sampling. Sampling for research and measurement is an important operation that aims to ensure the reliability and validity of the results of the product conformity assessment and environmental monitoring.
Requirements for testing laboratory premises. For each type of laboratory, depending on the requirements of SanPiNov, there are its own standards: for occupied space, arrangement of equipment, location of chemicals, humidity level, temperature conditions. For example, if scales are installed in the laboratory, then a hood cannot be located above them, and an uncontrolled increase in humidity in this room is unacceptable.
Application of reference materials in laboratories. A reference material, or CO, is a homogeneous and stable material with one or more defined properties, intended for use in a measurement process. The basic requirements for the quality of the referense materials produced are regulated by ST RK ISO 17034-2020 "General requirements for the competence of reference materials manufacturers". Applications of RM may include calibration of the measuring system, evaluation of measurement techniques, quality control, etc.
Personnel competency assessment. The competence of laboratory personnel includes compliance with the requirements for education, qualifications, training, technical knowledge, skills, and experience, responsibility for the quality of work, everything that affects the results of laboratory activities. Evidence of personnel competence can include attestations, diplomas, certificates, scientific degrees of employees, publications, records of participation in calibration or testing activities and evaluation of this participation, records of participation in standardization work, and much more. Consequently, this will be a big plus in the competensy assessment process.
List of literature used
1. ISO/IEC 17025-2019 Gost "General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories" (ISO/IEC 17025:2017).
