How to prepare a scope of accreditation

 

The ISO/IEC 17025 is the industry-leading accreditation standard for calibration labs and testing labs. It is a great way to show clients the capabilities of the lab’s equipment and results. This means accreditation actually makes you more reliable over competition and helps you establish a strong base in the market. However, the process of getting accredited may not be very simple. There is a lot of documentation and equipment testing work that goes into creating an ISO accredited lab. One such document is the ISO 17025 Scope of Accreditation. This document is the official detailed statement of activities for which the laboratory has gained accreditation. 

While seemingly easy, this document is actually quite difficult to put together. Few details and customers could be misled and too many details could lead to constant requests leading to updates and changes and hence delays between the lab and the accrediting body. Hence, to bring you some ISO 17025 accreditation help to prepare this important document.

1. Contact the accrediting body and get draft ISO 17025 templates for the scope of accreditation: In order to create a scope of accreditation, you need to begin out with a template. This ensures that you cover all the points required for quick accreditation approval. It also means less time spent on creating documents from scratch and more time spent on completing documentation accurately.
2. Check your accreditation body’s policies: Before getting to the process of creating a draft scope of accreditation, it’s best to go through the policies of the accrediting body. This implies understanding the preferences of designing the scope of accreditation, the format of the document, and correct terminology. The accreditation guides also help you avoid any mistakes in putting the document together. While it may seem daunting, all these documents are easily available on the ISO website and hence can be accessed quickly to put together a properly detailed scope of accreditation.
3. Read up on other laboratories with similar capabilities: Another great way to make sure your scope of accreditation is properly aligned to requirements is using the scopes of other accredited laboratories as a starting point. Pay attention to the terminology and presentation of information to make sure you are able to incorporate them into your scope of accreditation.
   

These tips could easily help you get through the ISO 17025 uncertainty of documentation. However, it will take a lot of time, manpower, and effort. If you want to find an easier way out, get in touch with the experts at Cal Lab Access. These experts are equipped with all the tools required to make your accreditation journey quick and certain. Be it calibration templates or audit preparation or preparing a scope of accreditation, these experts help you become accreditation ready within 3 to 6 months.