There are plenty of testing companies providing services to Industry in the
fields of electrical product safety, environmental, EMC and calibration. Most
established testing laboratories have been through the rigorous process of
gaining accreditation to ISO Guide 17025, which is the relevant quality system
standard for laboratories (similar to ISO 9001 for manufacturers).
Accreditation is gained from independent 3rd party certifiers such as NATA or A2LA.
Apart from overall lab accreditation, many regulators rely upon accredited reports to specific standards. This involves an accredited lab developing test methods, having all relevant test equipment, ensuring the equipment is calibrated (often externally by an accredited calibration lab) and demonstrating technical competence and proficiency in testing to specific standards, which are then listed on a lab’s scope of accreditation. An example of an accredited scope can be found here.
Positives of a non accredited test report or test results;
There are a number of companies attempting to exploit this lack of knowledge by providing non accredited testing….often failing to disclose their reports lack the endorsement of NATA, A2LA, IANZ, CNAS or other accreditation bodies. This is currently most prevalent in the environmental product testing sector, where structural change in the automotive industry has led to component suppliers with in-house test facilities touting for any sort of work that will keep them afloat. These companies usually lack the experience/expertise of testing products & components for other industries.
Using non accredited labs for pre-scans or preliminary evaluations can prove disastrous if the test data they provide is proven incorrect upon submitting a product to an accredited lab for conformance testing. Apart from the waste of initial money in testing, a product may fail accredited testing, resulting in the redesign of a product that may have already been made in volume.
Problems of non accredited reports typically surface when seeking some sort of formal product approval, either locally or when exporting. This often results in retesting of the product, this time at an accredited lab. A good example would be CE mark compliance, where a company has produced a Declaration of Conformity to various standards, although when asked, the test reports either do not exist, were based on in-house testing or are from a non accredited lab.
Don’t risk a product recall because your device wasn’t tested correctly to the required standard.
Many industries and regulators, routinely specify accredited reports to satisfy their compliance requirements, including the Australian electrical regulators and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Larger Companies or Government Departments that purchase electrical and electronic products often specify accredited test reports or Australian safety approval certificates so as to minimise their risk of non-compliance and product recalls.
Accredited labs represent the highest level of testing competence available and are independently audited by an accreditation body that is a signatory of the International Laboratory Accreditation Committee (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA).
How can you tell if a report is accredited ? An endorsed/accredited report will usually carry the endorsement logo of their accreditation body and often include the ILAC logo.
Apart from overall lab accreditation, many regulators rely upon accredited reports to specific standards. This involves an accredited lab developing test methods, having all relevant test equipment, ensuring the equipment is calibrated (often externally by an accredited calibration lab) and demonstrating technical competence and proficiency in testing to specific standards, which are then listed on a lab’s scope of accreditation. An example of an accredited scope can be found here.
Positives of a non accredited test report or test results;
- Testing should be cheaper as there would be no accreditation costs, no quality assurance overheads and possibly no calibration of equipment costs
- No traceability or verified measurement uncertainty
- Reports usually not accepted by State or Federal Regulators or Corporations
- No international recognition
- Greater product liability
- Lower level of confidence in the accuracy of the results
- Lower standard of quality
There are a number of companies attempting to exploit this lack of knowledge by providing non accredited testing….often failing to disclose their reports lack the endorsement of NATA, A2LA, IANZ, CNAS or other accreditation bodies. This is currently most prevalent in the environmental product testing sector, where structural change in the automotive industry has led to component suppliers with in-house test facilities touting for any sort of work that will keep them afloat. These companies usually lack the experience/expertise of testing products & components for other industries.
Using non accredited labs for pre-scans or preliminary evaluations can prove disastrous if the test data they provide is proven incorrect upon submitting a product to an accredited lab for conformance testing. Apart from the waste of initial money in testing, a product may fail accredited testing, resulting in the redesign of a product that may have already been made in volume.
Problems of non accredited reports typically surface when seeking some sort of formal product approval, either locally or when exporting. This often results in retesting of the product, this time at an accredited lab. A good example would be CE mark compliance, where a company has produced a Declaration of Conformity to various standards, although when asked, the test reports either do not exist, were based on in-house testing or are from a non accredited lab.
Don’t risk a product recall because your device wasn’t tested correctly to the required standard.
Many industries and regulators, routinely specify accredited reports to satisfy their compliance requirements, including the Australian electrical regulators and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Larger Companies or Government Departments that purchase electrical and electronic products often specify accredited test reports or Australian safety approval certificates so as to minimise their risk of non-compliance and product recalls.
Accredited labs represent the highest level of testing competence available and are independently audited by an accreditation body that is a signatory of the International Laboratory Accreditation Committee (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA).
How can you tell if a report is accredited ? An endorsed/accredited report will usually carry the endorsement logo of their accreditation body and often include the ILAC logo.
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