WessexLab
Will it be good or not? To clear up this doubt, one of the most reliable criteria for selecting a laboratory is to know if it is accredited and for what activities.
This information is specified in the laboratory’s scope of accreditation.
Through a system of international agreements, the results issued by a laboratory under ENAC-ILAC accreditation are recognized in more than 70 countries around the world thanks to the so-called ILAC Arrangement. Full details of the ILAC Arrangement and the list of signatories can be found on the ILAC website www.ilac.org.
This developing system of international MRAs (Mutual Recognition Agreements) between accreditation bodies has allowed accredited laboratories to achieve a form of international recognition, and that the results that accompany export products are more easily accepted in foreign markets. This effectively reduces the costs of the manufacturer and the impoters, as it reduces or eliminates the need for the products to undergo further testing in another country.
The EC Regulation No. 765/2008 that regulates accreditation in Europe establishes in its article 11 the principle of presumption of conformity by virtue of which the national authorities will recognize the equivalence of the services provided by the National Accreditation Bodies of each Member State and will accept thus the certificates / reports issued by the conformity assessment bodies under their accreditations.
Making decisions based on tests carried out by accredited laboratories will help you reduce the risk levels of producing or supplying a defective product or in the event of damage to third parties. In addition, it allows demonstrating “due diligence” in the case of legal action, as accreditation is the universally accepted tool as the most reliable when it comes to demonstrating the competence of a laboratory.
Accredited laboratories must have a claims handling system. ENAC for its part can also act if the laboratory client is not satisfied with the latter’s response (this service and the applicable legal terms are available on its website).
Laboratories are periodically re-evaluated, which forces the laboratory to constantly adapt its processes to meet the requirements and in order to obtain the most reliable results.
These audits are carried out by technical auditors specialized in accredited techniques who verify that the laboratory has acted systematically in compliance with the accreditation requirements.
Accredited and NON-accredited laboratories
The term laboratory is generally associated with organizations of high technical and scientific level equipped with advanced technical means and highly qualified personnel, but unfortunately the reality is not necessarily that.
The reality is that among the companies that provide testing or calibration services are those that, in effect, have shown that this idea that is generally had of a laboratory is true and others that have not.
The former have an ENAC accreditation. The second, no.
For this reason, when a company considers contracting testing or calibration services, if it wants to have the maximum guarantees of technical competence without running risks, it must opt for accredited laboratories, because they have proven to have the necessary technical solvency while in the case of unaccredited laboratories, you only have personal confidence in the laboratory’s own statements.
All of this has been demonstrated to ENAC, the only body designated in Spain to carry out this type of evaluation, which has evaluated them through a rigorous auditing process in which technical experts intervene in each accredited technique and according to established and recognized criteria. internationally.
None of this is guaranteed if you choose to hire non-accredited labs.
All laboratories offer the market the same services that, at times, affect critical aspects for the applicant of the tests and that can affect the safety of products and people, so making decisions about tests carried out by laboratories that have not proven competence can have consequences for the company.
And, only if you use accredited laboratories can you benefit from the advantages that ENAC accreditation brings you.
MADRID
Pol. Industrial Acedinos. Área Tecnológica del Sur.
Avda. Eric Kandel, 1. CP 28906 Getafe
COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA
Calle Penyagolosa, Nº9, 2º C.
CP 12540.
Vila-real.
Castellón.
NAVARRA
Edificio La Estrella. Polígono Berroa Nº 2 , Bajo E.
CP 31192 Tajonar.
Navarra
