A2LA Accredited and Enrolled Laboratories: Your Input Is Requested

Good morning!  A2LA is establishing a recurring column for our newsletter, A2LA Today, that will focus on you, our accredited organizations, and the benefits that A2LA accreditation has brought to you.

The format of the article will be based around 4 standard questions that will be asked of all organizations.  In response, we are looking for stories of how accreditation has benefited your organization and increased your marketability and stories of how the implementation of ISO standards has brought to light important areas for improvement that have made you a better organization.

Although the article will focus on the answers provided by a particular organization, it will also include information about the organization itself and will allow for a photograph or graphic to be included.

We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to share your accreditation experience and insight into your organization within the widely-distributed A2LA newsletter.

Submissions meeting the criteria outlined above will be chosen for inclusion in the newsletter – one organization’s responses spotlighted in each issue.  If your submission is not chosen straight away, watch for future issues of A2LA Today for which you may be selected.

So please take a moment to respond to the questions below and email your submission to Teresa Barnett, A2LA Director of Quality, at tbarnett@A2LA.org.

(1)   Why did your organization seek accreditation from A2LA? Gasco strives to be a company whose intention is to achieve world class standards and identified r quality assurance as one of the prime requirements in this journey. Gasco recognizes  A2LA as a  world leader in laboratory accreditation who have  certified hundreds of laboratories  globally,  A2LA has mutual recognition arrangement (MRS's) with other laboratory accreditation systems, member labs around the world who will accept  test and calibration data from our lab. GASCO’ s quest was to  have a laboratory with a   credible management program with certified capability to perform specific tests and calibrations. Accreditation by A2LA adds credibility to Gasco Asab Laboratory. (2)   How did the process of implementing an ISO standard bring to light areas for improvement that have made you a better organization? In our Journey to gain accreditation and to obtain certification, specialist technical assessors conduct a thorough evaluation of all our performance factors through a rigid adherence to the ISO 17025 criteria. This process highlighted specific deficiencies in our day to day work practices relating to testing, calibration, validation etc. The gaps so identified were procedural, technical and also in some cases required change of test methods which we have implemented and gained significantly in the process. (3)   What benefits has your organization seen as a result of your A2LA accreditation? Implementing ISO/IEC 17025 as part of laboratory quality initiatives provides both laboratory and business benefits such as: •                  Has led to a reduction in re-analysis of samples. •                  Improved  data quality and laboratory effectiveness. •                  Better  qualified processes and demonstrated improvement in  staff competence   •                  Customer  recognition to our reports and certificate; •                  Clear definition of roles, responsibilities, and authority, provide for greater efficiency in operation of the laboratory. •                  Slight reduction in operating costs. •                  We have seen a small reduction in the turnaround time for analyses. •                  Improved traceability of measurement and calibration to international standards •                  Suitability, calibration and maintenance of test equipment •                  Sample handling and transporting the same •                  Better Quality assurance of test and calibration data (4)   How has A2LA accreditation improved your marketability?  How has your business changed for the better since gaining accreditation? Accreditation has opened a door for us to gain our customers’ acceptance and recognition of competent work. Our customer now is more amenable to accepting the results reported as he now knows that our systems adopted are reliable and ensures repetitive completeness. We now work continually towards improving data quality and laboratory effectiveness. It has opened doors for us to participate in the Global Proficiency testing program. Please provide some information about your organization (e.g., How long have you been in business? What type of accredited services do you offer? In what regions do you offer these services? Etc.): Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd. (GASCO) was born in 1978, in the heart of the United Arab Emirates – its capital Abu Dhabi – as an answer to the vision of the late Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan who believed in the sound utilization of the Emirate’s significant gas resources. The incorporation and establishment of GASCO as a joint venture between the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Shell, Total, and Partex, and the integration of ATHEER (a wholly owned ADNOC Company) in 2001, supported GASCO in realizing the vision to be one of the most innovative, respected and caring companies in the gas and hydrocarbon industry. GASCO’s commitment in meeting the expectations of its various stakeholders – shareholders, employees and community, regulatory bodies and non-governmental bodies, was recently recognized through the renewal of the Joint Venture Agreement originally signed in 1978. The new Agreement, which is now set to run until September 30, 2028, will allow GASCO to hold the distinction of being one of the major players in the global gas and hydrocarbons market, conducting onshore gas processing and the transportation of gas and liquid products, contributing to the GDP of the UAE in a sustainable and responsible manner. Gasco Vision GASCO aspires to be the most innovative and respected supplier of gas and hydrocarbons in the United Arab Emirates. This means GASCO’s activities will be carried out safely, responsibly, efficiently and economically and will follow GASCO’s Business Principles which address: Our core values: honesty, integrity and respect for people with particular focus on health, safety and the environment. Our commitment to sustainable development where GASCO balances the short and long term interests, integrating economic, environmental and social interest in to the business decision-making process, within the framework defined by our shareholders. Our responsibilities to our stakeholders – shareholders, customers, employees, business partners and society. Our principles which include GASCO’s commitment to health, safety and environment, generating value, business integrity, local communities, compliance aspects, and communication and engagement with stakeholders. Is a photograph or graphic included?  _____Yes  ______No If “Yes”, please include a caption:

Sincerely,

Teresa C. Barnett, M.S.

Director of Quality

American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA)

Email:  tbarnett@A2LA.org

Direct Line:  301.644.3202

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