topic 7: lab accreditation

what is accreditation?

formal recognition by an independent 3rd party that a lab is competent to perform a specific testing or calibration activities

who accredits labs in sg?

singapore accreditation council (SAC)

why do we need the lab to be accredited? (3)

comply with international standards

achieve trust and recognition of customers and relevant authorities

ensure the highest quality of products and services

what does shall mean in ISO? (2)

a requirement

compulsory for lab to be accredited

what does should mean in ISO? (2)

a recommendation

good practice

what does may mean in ISO? (2)

permission

optional

what does can mean in ISO?

possibility or capability

quality assurance (QA) is what oriented?

process-oriented

quality control (QC) is what oriented?

result-oriented

what does QA do?

prevent defects

what does QC do?

detect defects

when is QA done? (2)

needs to be done earlier

when the product is manufactured

when is QC done? (2)

after production

bring to lab for testing

what is QA main focus?

covers entire quality system

what is QC main focus?

focus on testing and inspection

what kind of things is included in QA? (3)

SOPs

audits

paperwork

what kind of things are included in QC? (3)

blanks

standards

experiment in lab

what is conformity assessment bodies (CAB)?

organizations that checks if standards are met

what falls under CAB? (5)

testing lab

calibration lab

inspection body

certification body

proficiency testing provider

CAB: testing lab

test products

CAB: calibration lab

calibrates equipment to ensure accurate measurements

CAB: inspection body

inspects buildings factories or product

CAB: certification body

certifies products or management system

CAB: proficiency testing provider

organises inter-lab comparison tests to evaluate lab performance