Testing and calibration laboratories in Guyana can implement the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Standard “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories” to improve performance and provide confidence in the results provided to their users. Accreditation to this standard allows laboratory results to be accepted anywhere in the world.
The standard was issued by the International Organisation for Standardisation/ International Electro-Technical Commission and was adopted by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) for use by laboratories locally. GNBS, with the support of the Government, has taken it further to have its calibration laboratories accredited to this globally recognised standard.
According to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), in 2024 over 114,000 laboratories were accredited worldwide to the standard, an increase from just over 93,000 in 2023.
The standard specifies the general requirements for competence, impartiality and consistency of operations in laboratories. The requirements are applicable to all organisations performing laboratory activities, regardless of the number of personnel.
Under general requirements, the standard addresses impartiality and confidentiality in laboratory activities. Activities within a lab must be undertaken impartially, not yielding to commercial, financial or other pressures to compromise impartiality. Further, risk to impartiality must be eliminated or minimized. Meanwhile, information emanating from a laboratory conforming to this standard must be carefully managed to maintain confidentiality.
The standard also provides structural requirements. These require the laboratory to be a legal entity; lab must have defined range of activities, and there must be conformance of lab activities to the requirements of this standard. There must be a defined organisation structure, specified responsibility, authority and interrelationships of personnel. Documented procedures to ensure consistent application of lab activities and validity of results must exist within the lab.
For resource requirements, the standard requires laboratories to have available personnel, facilities, equipment, systems and support services necessary to manage and perform their laboratory activities.
All personnel, internal or external, that could influence the activities of the lab must act impartially, be competent and work in accordance with the laboratory management system.
Other critical aspects considered by the standard include facilities and environmental conditions, equipment and metrological traceability and externally provided products and services. Only suitable externally provided products and services that affect laboratory activities should be used in specified instances.
Process requirements including those related to method validation, sampling, the handling of test or calibration items and the validation and reporting of results are outlined in the standard.
Laboratories meeting the requirements of this standard must respond to the concerns of their clients because they are required to establish a documented process to receive, evaluate and make decisions on complaints.
Finally, provisions are made in the standard for labs to select opportunities for improvement, conduct internal audits, take corrective actions when non-conformities occur, and conduct management reviews at planned intervals.
Laboratories desirous of conforming to the requirements of the ISO 17025 standard are encouraged to acquire a copy from the GNBS or directly from the ISO web store. GNBS, through its Business Development Department, can provide Training and Technical Assistance on the standard to interested Laboratories.
For further information, please contact GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0062, 219-0065, and 219-0066 or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgy.org
