Error of measurement

Systematic and
random error

Measurement scales Reading

assignment
Nominal scale
Ordinal scale: -
Interval scale: -
Metric/ratio scale: -
Absolute scale:-
 HOME WORK

1. Select one of the sectors:

• health,
• trade,
• science,
• industry,
• safety and
• environment, and report the importance of
measurement science in the respective sector.

Submission date Tuesday(21/08/2015)

morning at 3:00 local time 2
CHAPTER 2:- NATIONAL QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE
Nowadays quality is achieved through the integration and coordination
of a series of activities in several interrelated subjects such as:
 Metrology,
 Standardization,
 Testing,
accreditation and
Certification.
 This synergy is known as a National Quality Infrastructure (NQI).
 The main task of NQI for the success of quality starts with
measurement up to certification of products and services, a
certification that can lead to a seal of quality.
 This seal of quality is a guarantee that the specifications declared by
the producer (manufacturer) and the requirements of the consumer
(market) are both fulfilled.
 A third independent body which is in charge of accreditation is what
makes the certification trustworthy, and thus the quality.
 In case of a NQI, they must, at the very least, ensure access to
international standards and technical regulations, guarantee reliable
measurements, and set up a system that will allow accreditation of their
testing and certification facilities in such a way that the results of these
bodies will be internally accepted. 4
 when exporting agricultural and food products, the minimum
requirement is to demonstrate compliance with international
sanitary, phytosanitary and safety standards.
 Especially for developing countries, if they need to attract foreign
investors, they must keep in mind infrastructure.
This includes quality infrastructure, which is one of the key factors
that foreign investor will consider.
 This shows that a strong and internationally recognized National
Quality Infrastructure is the basis for economic development of a
country. 5
 NQI in Ethiopia

 In Ethiopia, the functions related to standards, metrology,

inspection, testing and certification are used to be provided by the
same organization, namely the Quality and Standards Authority of
Ethiopia (QSAE).
 QSAE was also responsible for the administration of mandatory
standards on behalf of other regulatory institutions such as Ministry
of trade etc.
 Despite commitment and initiation to play a meaningful role in
enhancing exports of Ethiopian industry, the NQI was not developed in a
way that enables local business meet the requirements for the
6

international market.
 Conti….

 Studies have confirmed that the absence of an effective and internationally

recognized NQI had not only limited Ethiopia‟s share in the export market, but
had also indirectly exposed exporters to additional transaction costs such as
inspection and testing by recipient countries. Hence this has led to the approval
of the national quality infrastructure of Ethiopia since February 2009.
 With the newly approved Ethiopian National Quality Infrastructure
strategy, four institutions, namely:
•Ethiopian Standards Agency;
• National Metrology Institute of Ethiopia;
• Ethiopian Conformity Assessment Enterprise and
• National accreditation Office of Ethiopia
7

are established.
 The National measurement standards are maintained by the National
Metrology Institute of Ethiopia (NMIE), through which calibration
services are provided to the industry and other sectors.
 The NMIE is the sole provider of the calibration service to the
country.
 There are many testing laboratories in Ethiopia as third party,
second party and third party laboratories in the private and government
institutions.
 These laboratories are in charge of chemicals, textile, leather and
construction etc. 8
 The testing laboratory of the Ethiopia conformity assessment
enterprise are mainly used for the purpose of certification and other legal
issues.
 In Ethiopia, product certification and system certifications are
provided by the Ethiopia conformity assessment enterprise and other
foreign certification bodies.
 Various factories of the country have got a quality system certification
such as ISO 9001, ISO 14000, ISO 22000.

9
The elements of a National Quality Infrastructure
 Standards
One of the elements of the NQI is Standard. Standards provide
a reference framework or a common technical language
between suppliers and their customers - that facilitates trade
and transfer of technology. In this sense, standards serve to
describe the state of the art, point technical developments in
the right direction at an early stage, and define the
requirements met by products and procedures.

The use of bank card almost everywhere in the world is also

one of the applications of standard. This and, many other
examples of convenience for consumers in everyday life are
the result of an International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) and its partners.
 Conti….

Standard:
 Standard is a document approved by a recognized body that
provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or
characteristics for products and their related processes or production
methods with which compliance is not mandatory.
 It may also cover terminology, symbols, packaging, marking or
labeling requirements as they apply to a product, process or
production method.
 From this definition, one can conclude that Standards are
voluntary in nature. 11

 They do not form part of legislation.

 Functions and Benefits of Standards

 Standards ensure desirable characteristics of products and

services such as :-
quality,
environmental friendliness,
 safety,
reliability,
efficiency and
interchangeability at an economical cost.
 Standards specify the product characteristics, or technical
requirements, with which products processes have to comply in order to12
meet the standards.
 Conti….

The functions of standards are to:

• make the development, manufacturing and supply of products and
services more efficient, safer and cleaner;
• facilitate trade between countries and make it fairer;
• provide governments with a technical base for health, safety and
environmental legislation, and conformity assessment;
• share technological advances and good management practice;
• disseminate innovation;
• safeguard consumers, and users in general, of products and
services;and
13
• make life simpler by providing solutions to common problems.
Development and Implementation of Standards

 Standards can be developed by a variety of bodies in the public or

private sectors.
 Standardizing bodies should comply with the code of good practice for
the
preparation,
 adoption and
application of standards, also known as the ”standards code”
 One national standard institute per country is necessary and
economically justified to avoid duplication of efforts.
 The technical competence has to come from the different
14
standardization committees comprising experts from the respective fields,
 Conti….

 Examples industrial standards, food standards, health

standards or environmental standards.
 This structure guarantees that all national standards
are developed according to the same procedure but with
the respective expertise, and that they are registered in
one national system or database.
 Nowadays, standards will not be newly ”developed” in
each country but mainly adopted from international
15

standards, e.g ISO standards.

 Why National Standard Institutions are required?

 Individual customer has no means to identify the product failures

at the time of purchasing, government have not only a right but also an
obligation to determine and control the technical attributes of products in
the form of legislation which is known as a technical regulation.
 Hence, regulatory bodies can impose technical regulations such as
regulating the safety of,
pharmaceutical products,
electrical products,
 labeling of pre-packed goods, fair trade etc.

16
 Conti….

 In our country, the Ethiopian Standards Agency (ESA) is in

charge to coordinate the national standards development effort
in all economic fields, which is carried by the Standards
Development Group i.e. the Technical Committees (TCs).
Standardization tasks of ESA are to
• Develop working guidelines for the TCs that complies with
international practice (e.g. ISO);
• Develop indigenous standards and harmonize Ethiopian
17
Standards with international standards;
 Conti….

• Safeguard Ethiopia‟s interest in international standardization through

participation in various international technical committees;
• Assess standardization demand and the existing situation of technology
and technical level of domestic manufacturers prior to adopting standards
• Provide training and technical support on approved Ethiopian standards;
and
• Play a catalytic role for Technology Capability Accumulation and
Transfer (TeCAT), by adopting/adapting appropriate standards and
promoting their application.
18
 Technical Regulation

 Technical regulation is a document which lays down

product characteristics or their related process and production
methods, including administrative provisions, with which
compliance is mandatory.
 It may also cover:
 terminology,
symbols,
packaging,
marking or labeling requirements as they apply to a product,
19

process or production method.

 Standard and Technical Regulation: Relationships

 Technical regulation and standard are two distinct

concepts.
 Standards have a voluntary nature,
 Where as technical regulations, which use standards as
the basis for imposing required characteristics is
mandatory.

20
 Conti….

 Tasks of the regulatory body are:

• Administration of standards which are defined as mandatory;
• Supervision of imported items;
• Supervision exported items;
• Administration of Legal metrology;
• Market surveillance;
• Carrying out verifications of measuring instruments, ensuring correct
measurements, checking of pre-packages, market surveillance;
• Developing Legal Metrology up to the needs of the society and economy
• Type approval of measuring equipment falling within the scope of legal
21
metrology legislation;
 Conti….

• Supervising verification activities carried out by appointed bodies;

• Working out the necessary regulations and instructions;
• Establishing a formal training system in legal metrology;
• Raising awareness of the public and the clients about legal metrology;
• Advising the ”Certificate Issuing Authority” on the acceptance of type
testing certificates or results provided by foreign institutions for national
type approvals; and
• Representing the country in the OIML and regional legal metrology
organization.

22
 International Organization for Standardization
 The organization responsible for many thousands of the standards
which benefit the world is the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO).
 ISO has published more than 18,000 International Standards and other
types of normative documents dealing with most fields that ranges from
standards for traditional activities, such as:
 agriculture and construction,
 mechanical engineering,
manufacturing and distribution,
 transport, medical devices,
information and communication technologies, 23

and to standards for good management practice and for services.

 Conti…
 Metrology
The second element of a NQI is Metrology. The increasing
globalization of trade and emergence of new knowledge based
industries will increasingly depend on highly precise
measurements to support their growth. Measures are not a
natural phenomenon. They have to be defined, described and
made known. Measures are disseminated to users via a
network of calibration laboratories, which have normally
undergone a process of accreditation as a proof of their
competence.
 Conti..
Metrology: the science of measurement, embracing both
experimental and theoretical determinations at any level of
uncertainty in any field of science and technology.
Classification of Metrology
Metrology is a very broad field and may be divided into three
subfields namely scientific/fundamental; applied/industrial
and legal metrology.
Scientific or fundamental metrology: concerns the
establishment of quantity systems, unit systems, units of
measurement, the development of new measurement methods
by related theories with nature.
 Cont.….

Applied or industrial metrology: concerns the application of

measurement science to manufacturing and other processes
and their use in society, ensuring the suitability of
measurement instruments, their calibration and quality control
of measurements; and
Legal metrology: concerns regulatory requirements of
measurements and measuring instruments for the protection of
health, public safety, the environment, enabling taxation,
protection of consumers and fair trade.
 Cont.….

Scientific Metrology
Scientific metrology is the realm of metrology in which primary
measurement standards or primary methods are developed. It deals with
problems common to all metrological questions irrespective of the
quantity measured. It touches on the general theoretical and practical
problems related to the units of measurement.
There are different specialist areas of metrology. Some examples are:
Mass metrology: which relates to the measurement of mass
Dimensional Metrology: which deals with the measurement of length
and angle
Temperature metrology: which concerns with measurement of
temperature; and
Chemical metrology: which has to do with all kinds of measurements in
chemistry.
 Cont.….
Industrial Metrology
Industrial Metrology focuses on measurements in production
and quality control. Typical issues are calibration procedures
and calibration intervals, control of measurement process; and
management of measuring equipment.

Proper maintenance and control of industrial measuring

equipment including calibration of instruments and working
measurement standards.

The performance of measuring and test equipment may change

with time, under the influence of the environment to which it
is exposed, wear and tear, overload or because of improper
use. The accuracy of the measurement given by the equipment
needs therefore to be checked from time to time.
 Cont.….
To do this the value of a quantity measured by the equipment is
compared with the value of the same quantity provided by a
measurement standard. This procedure is called calibration. A basic tool
in ensuring the traceability of a measurement is the calibration of a
measuring instrument, measuring system or reference material.
Calibration determines the performance characteristics of an instrument,
system or reference material. It is usually achieved by means of a direct
comparison against measurement standards or certified reference
materials.
Four main reasons for having an instrument calibrated are:
1. To establish and demonstrate traceability;
2. To ensure readings from the instrument are consistent with other
measurements;
3. To determine the accuracy of the instrument readings; and
4. To establish the reliability of the instrument i.e. that it can be trusted.
 Cont.….
Correct calibration of measuring equipment is essential for the
following reasons:-
• It has a direct influence on the quality of a manufactured
product;
• It enhances competitiveness; and
• It is a requirement for the certification of a quality
management system according to ISO 9001:2005.
Accuracy and Uncertainty
Uncertainty is a quantitative measure of the quality of a
measurement result, enabling the measurement results to be
compared with other results, references, specifications or
standards. But Accuracy is the degree of exactness which is
the final product that corresponds to the measurement
standard.
 Cont.….
Measurement Standards
A system of National Measurement Standards is set up to
maintain and disseminate legal units in order to meet the
country‟s needs. National measurement standards are part of
the national metrological infrastructure. In the case that they
are themselves primary standards that independently realize
the legal units, they should be regularly compared with other
national primary standards.
The word Standard is used with two different meanings: as a
widely adopted specification, technical recommendation or
similar document and also as a measurement standard, and the
qualifier “measurement” should therefore be used when
necessary to avoid misunderstandings.
 Cont.….
The hierarchy of measurement standards starts from the international
standard at the apex and goes all the way down to working standards.
International measurement standard: - standard recognized by an
international agreement to serve internationally as the basis for assigning
values to other standards of the quantity concerned. The custodian of
international measurement standards is the Bureau international
despoidset measures (BIPM), in Sevres near Paris. The oldest standard in
use is the kilogram prototype.
National measurement standard: - standard recognized by National law
to serve, in a country, as the basis for assigning values to other standards
of the quantity concerned. The custodian of National Measurement
standards is usually a national laboratory called national metrology
institute, a national bureau of standards or national bureau of weight and
measures. Some countries do not have national measurement standards.
 Cont.….
Primary standard: standard that is designated or widely
acknowledged as having the highest metrological qualities and
whose value is accepted without reference to other standards
of the same quantity. Primary standards are, for example,
Josephson devices for the realization of the quantity ”volt” or
stabilized lasers with interferometers for the realization of the
quantity ”length”. These devices are used as national standards
by many national metrology institutes and some of the best-
equipped calibration laboratories.
Secondary standard: standard whose value is assigned by
comparison to a primary standard of the same quantity.
Primary standards are usually used to calibrate secondary
standards
 Cont.….

Working standard: standard that is used routinely to calibrate

or check material measures, measuring instruments, or
reference materials. A working standard is usually calibrated
against a secondary standard. A working standard used
routinely to ensure that measurements are being carried out
correctly is called a check standard. There are no general
requirements as far as the accuracy of standards is concerned.
A working standard in one location may be good enough to
serve as a reference standard or even as a national standard in
another.
 Cont.….
Reference standard: standard, generally having the highest
metrological quality available at a given location or in a given
organization, from which the measurements made at that
location are derived. Calibration laboratories maintain
reference standards for calibrating their working standards.
Transfer standard: standard used as an intermediary to
compare standards. Resistors are used as transfer standards for
comparisons of voltage standards. Weights are used to
compare balances.
Traveling standard: standard, sometimes of special
construction, intended for transport between different
locations, and used as inter-comparison of standards. A
portable battery - operated cesium frequency standard may be
used as a traveling standard. Calibrated load cells are used as
traveling force standards.
 Importance of metrology in International Trade

Metrology is crucial in international trade because it

provides the necessary technical measures to ensure
correct measurements, through the implementation of
a harmonized system of measurement which
comprises the system of international units (SI),
accurate measuring instruments complying with
international standards
 Importance of metrology in International Trade

Metrology is crucial in international trade because it

provides the necessary technical measures to ensure
correct measurements, through the implementation of
a harmonized system of measurement which
comprises the system of international units (SI),
accurate measuring instruments complying with
international standards
 Conti…
Testing
The third element of a National Quality Infrastructure, Testing,
is perhaps the most common type of conformity assessment. It
can include other activities like measurement and calibration.
Testing also provides the basis for other forms, for example, it
is the main technique used in product certification. The tests
are as varied as the areas that must be regulated. They can
range from a simple visual check to testing under special
laboratory conditions.
 Conti…

Testing is the determination of product characteristics against the

specifications/ standards.
 This can range from a simple visual check to testing under a special
laboratory condition.
 In the broadest sense, testing is an activity that covers the services of
 testing,
measuring,
calibrating,
examining,
 identifying, 39
 Conti…

checking or otherwise a material,

a specimen,
a component,
a product,
 a system or an event for conformity with
specified standards, requirements or otherwise.

40
 Types of Testing Laboratories

 Depending the use of the laboratory result, testing

laboratories are divided into first-party, second-party and
third-party laboratories.
First-party laboratories:-
 This is the technical term used when a laboratory
generates a test result for its own purpose.
 The laboratory data never leaves the organization.
 This is usually applicable when an organization needs a
41

testing laboratory from its internal quality control.

 Types of Testing Laboratories

Second-party laboratories:-
 This is applicable when a customer of the
laboratory carries out the testing.
 Some customers use their own laboratory for testing
and compare the results with the laboratory for the
purpose of proficiency testing or quality control
check so that the customers will have a confidence to
accept the test result of the laboratory.
42
 Types of Testing Laboratories

Third-party laboratories:-
 The conformity assessment is performed by a body that is
independent of both supplier and customer organizations.
 An example is ISO 9000 certification where an organization‟s
quality management system is assessed by an independent
”certification” or ”registration” body against the requirements of an
ISO 9000 standard.
 If the system conforms to the requirements, the
certification/registration body issues the organization with an ISO
9000 certificate. 43
Mechanical testing:

construction materials
Cements and pozzolanic materials
Cement based products
Aggregates
Building boards and plywood
Clay and clay products, etc.

44
Mechanical testing:

Mechanical testing
Building and construction materials
 Metals and metal products
Barbed wires, cold drawn mild steel
wires, galvanized corrugated steel
sheets, galvanized plain sheets, nails
(steel wire nails), reinforcement steel
bars, steel plates.

45
Textile testing:

Textiles, leather, paper, and

polymeric products and materials
 Textiles
– Cotton fibers, jute fibers,
polyester fibers, cotton yarn,
sewing thread, textile fabric,
berets, mosquito net
 Paper and related products
 Polymeric products
– Fertilizer bags, low density
poly ethylene films, PVC pipes
 Leather,
– Wet blue chrome fanned skin,
shoe upper leather, sole leather,
lining leather, safety shoes
46
Electrical testing:

Electrical testing

Electrical Products

Insulating materials and insulators

Cells and batteries

Primary cells

Cables and feeders

Electrical wires and cables

Approval tests on electrical appliances

and accessories
Plugs and sockets outlets

Performance tests on electrical

appliance and accessories 47

Tungsten filament lamps

Chemical testing:

Chemical Products
 Detergents and related products
 Safety matches
 Edible oils and fats
 Preservatives in food
 Alcoholic and nonalcoholic
beverage
 Fertilizers and liming materials,
etc.

48
Microbiological Testing:

Food Products
 Cereal products
 Dairy products
 Meat and meat products
 Vegetable and vegetable products
 Water, etc

49
 Use of Testing in Conformity Assessment

 In conformity assessment, the following basic principles should be

considered in order to maximize confidence in the results of test data.
Samples
 Samples should be representative of the batch or product type being
evaluated for conformance.
 They should be taken or supplied in accordance with documented
procedures, specifications or instructions by appropriately trained
personnel, using suitable containers, labels (and preservatives or other
protection where appropriate).
 Unambiguous identification of samples is essential, together with full
50
records of sample receipt and processing.
 Use of Testing in Conformity Assessment

Test methods
 Test methods are used to determine whether conformance should be
specified, documented and be appropriate for the intended purpose.
Whenever possible they should be based on accepted international or
national standard methods.
Validation
 It should be performed on any test methods which are used for
conformity assessment that are not based on accepted international or
national standard methods.
 This may be achieved by comparing data from such methods against
51
data from well-established national or international methods.
 Use of Testing in Conformity Assessment

Acceptance Criteria
 It should be available for making decisions on conformity of a
product.
 Some standard methods, specifications or regulations may include
such criteria, but often it will be necessary for the conformity
assessment body, the laboratory‟s client or some third party to define the
basis on which a tested product, commodity etc is accepted or rejected.
 There are special problems associated with acceptance of test data
which is close to a specification limit because the inherent uncertainty of
a test result may mean that the real value of a reported test result could
52
lie in either the ”pass” or ”fail” zone.
 Benefits of Conformity Assessment

 Consumers benefit from conformity assessment because it provides

them with a basis for selecting products or services.
 They may have more confidence in products or services that bear a
mark or certificate of conformity that attests to quality, safety or
other desirable characteristics.
 Regulators benefit from conformity assessment which gives them a
means of enforcing governmental health, safety and environmental
legislation.
 International Trade benefits from harmonizing conformity
assessment procedures around the world. 53
 Use of Testing in Conformity Assessment
Management and Operation
 Management and operation of a laboratory should ideally comply with the
requirements of international codes of good practices for competent laboratories.
 ISO/IEC 17025, general requirements for competence of calibration and testing
laboratories cover the general principles which should apply to all types of
laboratories which may need to demonstrate their competence to other parties
(such as through laboratory accreditation).
 For particular types of laboratories such as, chemical laboratories, forensic
laboratories, calibration laboratories, or field laboratories, additional more
specific criteria may be needed to demonstrate competence in such laboratories.
 Technology specific criteria, supplementary to the ISO/IEC 17025 are
published by a number of accreditation bodies. 54
 Use of Testing in Conformity Assessment
Comparability of data
 Comparability of data between laboratories is an important issue in testing.
 Every test, measurement or calibration activity has uncertainties associated
with the reported values.
 The closeness of agreement between the results of two laboratories needs to
be considered in terms of such uncertainties.
 Some standard test methods include guidance on the precision of the method.
Precision has two components, reproducibility and repeatability.
 Reproducibility is the closeness of agreement which should normally be
expected between two laboratories which have tested the same sample using the
same method.
 Repeatability is the closeness of agreement between two tests on the same55
sample by the same person.
 Use of Testing in Conformity Assessment

Inter-laboratory comparison
 Inter-laboratory comparison are a useful tool to assist laboratories
and their clients to evaluate the comparability of data between
laboratories.
 Inter-laboratory comparison is used for a number of purposes
including quality control of laboratory data, assignment of values to
reference materials, evaluation and validation of test methods and for
proficiency testing of laboratories‟ competence.
 The opportunities for laboratories to compare their data with other
laboratories will vary considerably, but it is a very desirable objective to
56
participate in such exercises whenever circumstances allow.
 Use of Testing in Conformity Assessment

Calibration support
 It is available to testing laboratories and traceability of measurements to national and
international standards of measurement affecting the reliability of testing laboratories‟
data.
 While some calibrations can be performed by testing laboratories, many types of
calibrations require special expertise.
 The calibrations performed by specialist laboratories on behalf of testing laboratories
should be at an accuracy appropriate to the use of equipment.
 The specific expertise of a calibration laboratory depends on a number of factors such
that its capabilities should normally be defined in terms of both the range of values over
which it can calibrate and the best measurement capability achieved by that laboratory for
that range.
57
 Reports from the calibration laboratories should provide the results of their calibrations
and the associated uncertainties for the reported results.
 Use of Testing in Conformity Assessment

Certified reference materials (CRMs)

 The quality and the availability of CRMs to calibrate or standardize
instruments are of major significance to testing laboratories.
 A number of ISO guides have been prepared on this topic with the
most recent being ISO Guide 34: 1996, Quality system requirements for
the production of reference materials.

58
 Conti…

Certification
The fourth element of a NQI is certification. Certification is
based on systematic testing to examine whether a product or a
process fulfills certain requirements as specified in standards
or normative documents. There are also standards defining the
requirements for the certification bodies. The aim of quality
management is to prevent mistakes and to guarantee and
improve the quality of products and processes. Proof that a
quality management system is in place is normally issued
through a certification procedure.
 Certification…

 There are over 1100 certification or registration bodies

worldwide. It is imperative to dwell (reside) on conformity
assessment before dealing with the details of certification.
Conformity Assessment
 “Conformity assessment” means checking that products,
materials, services, systems, processes or people measure up to the
specifications of a relevant standard or specification.

60
 Conti…
Accreditation
Accreditation, which is the fifth element of the National
Quality Infrastructure, is the procedure by which an
authoritative body gives formal recognition that a body or
person is competent to carry out specific tasks. It is thus the
formal confirmation, based on international standards, by an
independent third party, that a body is competent to perform a
certain task. It is a means of building confidence in the work
and the findings of testing and calibration laboratories and of
inspection and certification bodies.
 ACCREDITATION…

 Accreditation and certification are often confused or seen as

equivalent, which is a misconception.
 Accreditation is much more than a certification. Although some
procedures are similar, an accreditation contains an additional
component which can be derived from the word itself: to give
“credit” requires first to find out if the person, institution or
laboratory is creditworthy, i.e. can be trusted regarding its
competence.
 It must be remembered that accreditation follows an assessment
of competence, while certification is the result of a demonstration of
62
compliance with a standard.
 Importance of Accreditation

Cost Reduction and Improved Acceptance

 Manufacturers and exporters can reduce costs and improve
acceptance of their goods overseas.
 Through a system of international agreements, technically
competent, accredited laboratories receive a form of international
recognition, which allows their data to be more readily accepted on
overseas markets.
 This recognition helps to reduce costs for manufacturers and
exporters that have their products or materials tested in accredited
laboratories, by reducing or eliminating the need for retesting in the
63

importing country.
 Importance of Accreditation…

Minimized Risk
 Throughout the world today, customers seek reassurance that
the products, materials or services they produce or purchase meet
their expectations or conform to specific requirements.
 This often means that the product is sent to a laboratory to
determine its characteristics against a standard or a specification.
 For the manufacturer or supplier, choosing a technically
competent laboratory minimizes the risk of producing or
supplying a faulty product.

64
 Importance of Accreditation…

Avoid Expensive Retesting

 Testing of products and materials can be expensive and time
consuming, even when they are done correctly the first time.
 If not done correctly, then the cost and time involved in re-
testing can be even higher if the product has failed to meet
specifications or expectations.
 Not only do costs go up, but your reputation as a supplier or
manufacturer can go down.
 You can also be held liable for any failure of your product,
particularly if it involves public safety or financial loss to a client. 65
 Importance of Accreditation…

 Choosing a technically competent laboratory minimizes the

chance of retesting being required.
Enhanced Customers’ Confidence
 Confidence in a product is enhanced if clients know it has been
thoroughly evaluated by an independent, competent testing facility.
 This is particularly so if you can demonstrate to them that the
laboratory itself has been evaluated by a third party.
 Increasingly customers „are relying on independent evidence,
rather than simply accepting a supplier’s word that the product is
“quality”(fit for purpose). 66
 Steps towards Accreditation
The accreditation process can be divided into four basic stages:

1- Application Procedure
■ Request for accreditation.
■ Application for accreditation.
■ Fee of the accreditation proceedings
■ Reviewing of the application and submitted documents
for adequacy.
■ Application receipt confirmation.
■ Signing contract with applicant