The Joint ISO-ILAC-IAF Communiqué on the Management System Requirements of ISO/IEC 17025, General Requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, first issued in 2005, has been updated to confirm that laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 operate a recognised quality management system. A copy is available from the ILAC website.
Accredited laboratories are often requested by clients to undertake the additional step of gaining certification to ISO 9001 to demonstrate that they are in full control of their processes. The communiqué clarifies that laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 are recognised as meeting the requirements of ISO 9001.
The communiqué is therefore designed to reduce the need for redundant audits of accredited laboratories, allowing them to focus on delivering reliable and high quality services to their customers.
