Calibration Laboratory Audit Preparation Webinar presented on December 10, 2013 by Keith Bennett, Transcat's Directory of Metrology and Quality Systems
4. Audit Preparation
• ISO/IEC 17025 General Requirements for the
ISO/IEC 17025 General Requirements for the
Competence of Testing and Calibration
Laboratories
– Management Requirements (Section 4)
• Contains all elements of ISO 9001
• 25 Elements
– Technical Requirements (Section 5)
• 28 Elements
5. Quality System
• Quality Manual
Quality Manual
– Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)
– Must Adequately Address all Elements of 17025
Must Adequately Address all Elements of 17025
– Must Adequately Address Other Critical Elements
6. Quality System
• Which Elements are important?
Which Elements are important?
– All need to be addressed
– Management Requirements
Management Requirements
• Most customer audits will focus on these
– Industry Specific
y p
– Technical Requirements
• Metrologist
8. Technical Requirements
• Primary Elements to Produce a Quality
Primary Elements to Produce a Quality
Calibration
– Human Factors
Human Factors
– Accommodation and Environmental Conditions
– Methods
Methods
– Equipment
– Measurement Traceability
Measurement Traceability
– Sampling
– Handling of M&TE
Handling of M&TE
9. Technical Requirements
• Primary Elements to Produce a Quality
Primary Elements to Produce a Quality
Calibration (con’t)
– Assuring the quality of test and calibration results
Assuring the quality of test and calibration results
– Reporting the results
17. Technical Requirements
•
Measurement Traceability
– An unbroken chain of comparison: Traceability begins with an unbroken chain of
comparisons originating at national, international or intrinsic standards of measurement
and ending with the working reference standards of a given metrology laboratory;
– Measurement uncertainty: The measurement uncertainty for each step in the
traceability chain must be calculated according to defined methods and must be stated
bili h i
b
l l d
di
d fi d
h d
d
b
d
at each step of the chain so that an overall uncertainty for the whole chain can be
calculated;
– Documentation: Each step in the chain must be performed according to documented
and generally acknowledged procedures and the results must be documented, i.e., in a
and generally acknowledged procedures and the results must be documented i e in a
calibration or test report;
– Competence: The laboratories or bodies performing one or more steps in the chain
must supply evidence of technical competence, e.g., by demonstrating that they are
accredited by a recognized accreditation body;
accredited by a recognized accreditation body;
– Reference to SI units: Where possible, the primary national, international or intrinsic
standards must be primary standards for realization of the SI units;
– Recalibrations: Calibrations must be repeated at appropriate intervals in such a manner
that traceability of the standard is preserved.
that traceability of the standard is preserved.
22. Technical Requirements
• Assuring the quality of test and calibration results
Assuring the quality of test and calibration results
– Quality review of completed product
• Logging the results to catch trends
ogging the results to catch trends
23. Technical Requirements
• Reporting the results
Reporting the results
– There are multiple elements/requirements for what
needs to be presented on certificates and data sets of
needs to be presented on certificates and data sets of
the calibrated M&TE. ISO 17025 is a good standard to
develop this.
25. Scope of Capabilities
• Developing your scope will take practice Some
Developing your scope will take practice. Some
things to consider are:
– What is my target
What is my target
– What are the capabilities of my standards
– Where do my capabilities need to be
Where do my capabilities need to be
– Are my capabilities in line with others
– Good source documents to develop scopes are
Good source documents to develop scopes are
ILAC P14 and the “Guide to the Expression of
Uncertainty of Measurement
Uncertainty of Measurement”
29. Internal Audits
• After initial development of Quality System
p
Q
y y
• On a recurring basis
– Generally on an annual schedule
• Performed by a designated quality representative
– Impartial
– Sh ld h
Should have reporting structure independent from
i
i d
d
f
Operations
• Internal audits should be the most stringent of all
g
external audits
• Should audit all elements of the Quality System
32. Do’s during an Audit
• Appearance – Initial Tour of the Lab
Appearance Initial Tour of the Lab
– Facilities
–E i
Equipment
t
– Personnel
• Identify Common Areas
34. Do’s during an Audit
• Give the auditor your undivided attention
Give the auditor your undivided attention
– Facilities
–E i
Equipment
t
– Personnel