Accreditation Resources The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) has an excellent range of publications that can be obtained from their website.
American Association for Laboratory Accreditation
Laboratory Accreditation Bureau
Regional cooperations have been established to manage the work needed for mutual recognition of accreditation bodies. The regional cooperations all work under the ILAC umbrella. They include:
- European Accreditation Cooperation (EA)
- Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC)
- Southern Africa Accreditation Cooperation (SADCA)
- Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC)
The National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation (NACLA) was established specifically for the United States to assist in mutual recognitions amongst the numerous accreditation bodies within that country.
Detailed accreditation information can be found at www.iso17025.info and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_17025
What is the process for a laboratory to get accredited?
The following flowchart provided by ACLASS illustrates a typical process for accreditation:
www.aclasscorp.com/requirements.cfm
What is ISO/IEC 17025?
A detailed answer can be found at the following sites:
The "ISO17025" Standard for Calibration Labs
You will also need a copy of the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. Go to the following website:
www.standardsbookshop.com/iso-17025.htm
How do other laboratories get accredited?
You definitely need a Quality Manual and that can be obtained from the following site:
SHOQ Quality Assurance Manuals Inc.
A nice text book reference is the "Laboratory Quality Handbook of Best Practices and Relevant Regulations". The book can be obtained as follows:
Interested in medical laboratory accreditation?
Go to www.iso15189.com