3 Results for product support

The announcement of a proficiency testing (PT) round, or scheme, can invoke a variety of responses from anxiety to resignation. Very few analysts look forward to performing these checks and sometimes feel they are being put on the spot and judged. In fact, a PT is used to evaluate laboratory and analyst performance, but it is not analogous to those dreaded college finals which one had to pass; instead, it is a tool of a quality management system to review methods and performance to weed out error and improve laboratory functions. This webinar will look at the best practices for achieving the passing results for PT analysis and tips on what to look at when challenged by a PT.

Laboratories around the world process and analyze hundreds of thousands of samples each day. Without an assurance of competency and accuracy, those results could be called into question, risking the world’s health, safety and economy. Since the 1940s, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has become one of the world’s largest developers of voluntary international standards from all manners of manufactured, agricultural and technological products and services. In the 1990s, ISO began creating standards for laboratories to standardize procedures and ensure competency and accuracy. Through the years, laboratories and reference material providers have pursued ISO accreditation for their facilities as a mark of quality and reliability. Recently, laboratory and reference material standards have been expanded or rewritten. Many established accredited laboratories are now wondering how these recent changes will affect their business. New unaccredited industries and laboratories are trying to understand the standards and the accreditation process to prove their own competency and value. In this note, we will look at the most common questions regarding ISO accreditation and how the new changes apply to laboratories and reference material suppliers.