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 NEWS
Asbestos Fiber AnalysisOTHER NVLAP NEWS www.nist.gov/traceabilityNEWLY ACCREDITED LABORATORIES PROGRAM NEWSNVLAP is in the process of rebidding the contract for the provider of proficiency testing for the Bulk and Airborne Asbestos Programs. Under the structure of the new contract, laboratories will no longer pay proficiency testing fees to NVLAP, but will instead apply directly to the proficiency testing provider for services. However, the proficiency testing provider will continue to supply the individual laboratory data to NVLAP. NVLAP will then send its laboratories the results of their proficiency tests. The current contract will end upon completion of PLM Round M22001 and TEM Round 01-1. It is expected that the new contract will be awarded this year, but it may take some time before the proficiency test provider is set up to receive proficiency test applications and fees. NVLAP will continue to update you as to what actions you should take to ensure enrollment in future proficiency tests. The revised NVLAP Fee Schedule will show an increase in the Administrative/Technical Support Fee. This money will be used to cover the cost of the NIST technical expert oversight. This is not a new fee as this money was previously contained within the proficiency testing fee paid to NVLAP. Some laboratories may be due a refund from NVLAP. Those laboratories will be informed individually about the refund process. By taking the above actions, it is hoped that we can improve the process and better control future costs. If you have any questions, please contact Tom Davis at (301) 975-6499 or E-mail thomas.davis@nist.gov Welcome New Staff Member NVLAP would like to welcome our newest staff member, Mr. William E. Thompson, who is working as a Program Manager in the Calibration Laboratories Program. Bill comes to us with about 18 years experience in various aspects of calibration/metrology. His most recent assignment was with the Naval Surface Warfare Center as a Program Manager in Foreign Military Sales (FMS) providing technical analyses for all test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment calibration requirements for U.S. Navy and FMS weapons systems. Bill will share responsibilities with Steve Doty for the day-to-day handling of the assessment of Calibration Laboratories. ISO/IEC 17025 versus ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994; Part I As we transition from ISO/IEC Guide 25-based accreditations to the new ISO/IEC 17025-based system, we create a small void. ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994, Calibration Laboratories and Measuring and Test Equipment - General Requirements, Part I, is based on Guide 25, meaning that laboratories found compliant with the requirements of Guide 25 were also compliant with the requirements of Z540-1. This compliance was reflected on the laboratory=s Certificate and Scope of Accreditation by a reference to the Z540-1 standard. However, 17025 does not address all of the requirements of Z540-1, meaning that laboratories found compliant with the requirements of 17025 are not necessarily compliant with the requirements of Z540-1. Therefore, as laboratories are found compliant to the new standard, the reference to Z540-1 has been removed from their Certificates and Scopes of Accreditation. To remedy this, NVLAP has developed a supplemental checklist titled ANVLAP Calibration Laboratories Supplemental Checklist for Verification of Compliance to ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994, Part I.@ This checklist covers the five requirements of Z540-1 that are not sufficiently addressed in 17025 and, therefore, not sufficiently addressed in NIST Handbook 150, NVLAP Procedures and General Requirements, 2001 edition. Calibration laboratories wishing to be recognized for their compliance with the requirements of Z540-1, as well as 17025, may request NVLAP to do so. NVLAP will then include this checklist in the evaluation process. Laboratories found compliant to these additional requirements will have a line item added to their Scope of Accreditation which will indicate that they are recognized for compliance with ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994, Part I. The Calibration Laboratories Program-Specific Application Form has been revised to allow laboratories to request that NVLAP include these additional requirements in the evaluation process. Laboratories already found compliant to 17025 may request that we add recognition of compliance with Z540-1 by submitting a completed supplemental checklist, which indicates where in their documented quality system the requirements are addressed, and by including a copy of those references or other evidence of compliance. Once NVLAP has determined that the laboratory has sufficiently addressed these requirements, its Scope of Accreditation will be revised accordingly. The supplemental checklist is available on the NVLAP web site at www.nist.gov/nvlap. Select Assessor Resources and click on Program Specific Checklists. Copies may also be obtained by contacting NVLAP. Laboratories wishing to be recognized for compliance with Z540-1 should be reminded that, as they revise their documented quality systems to reflect the requirements of the new standard, they should include appropriate references to these additional requirements. Information Technology Security Testing Common Criteria Testing Program The following Lab Bulletin, LB-5-2001, was issued to laboratories in the Common Criteria Testing Program on October 2, 2001: NIST Handbook 150:2001, paragraph 4.2.1 states: AThe laboratory shall establish, implement and maintain a quality system appropriate to the scope of its activities. The laboratory shall document its policies, systems, programs, procedures and instructions to the extent necessary to assure the quality of the test and/or calibration results. The system=s documentation shall be communicated to, understood by, available to, and implemented by the appropriate personnel.@ The ISO 9000 hierarchy of written documents is 1) policy, 2) procedure, 3) instruction, and 4) record. ISO 8402:1994, Quality management and quality assuranceCVocabulary, 1.3, procedure, Note 3 states: AA written or documented procedure usually contains the purposes and scope of an activity; what shall be done and by whom; when, where and how it shall be done; what materials, equipment and documents shall be used; and how it shall be controlled and recorded.@ The details that identify the steps to accomplish a task may be removed from a AProcedure@ document to one or more AInstruction@ documents. An instruction gives step-by-step details about how specific tasks are performed. While a procedure tells what to do, an instruction can tell how to do it. Instructions can include operating manuals for devices, checklists of steps to be taken, and customization of procedures for each evaluation. Written procedures and instructions provide for consistency within the laboratory over time and among evaluation teams. The written procedures and instructions, along with the records generated by each activity, also allow internal and external auditors to verify that the quality system is being properly used. W. Edwards Deming described the following cycle of events: say what you do, do what you say, record that you have done it, audit for compliance and effectiveness, feed back and continuously improve. For the NVLAP Information Technology Security Testing program for Common Criteria Testing, each applicant and accredited laboratory must have written and implemented procedures. Implementation is used here to mean that the appropriate quality system and technical documents have been written, experts and expertise obtained, training conducted, activity conducted, activity audited, and management review conducted. Procedures are an integral part of the laboratory quality system and must be included in all aspects of the laboratory operation. A laboratory must implement all of the procedures that are required to meet the accreditation requirements of NIST Handbook 150:2001 and NIST Handbook 150-20 (Draft Version 1.1, July 27, 1999; and later). Failure to have implemented procedures may lead to suspension of NVLAP accreditation. The Lab Bulletin also lists requirements for general and program-specific procedures that are available on the NVLAP Web Site. Questions or comments should be directed to Jeffrey Horlick at jeffrey.horlick@nist.gov. OTHER NVLAP NEWSNIST Traceability Policy From the NIST web site www.nist.gov/traceability: NIST is responsible for developing, maintaining and disseminating national standards B realizations of the SI - for the basic measurement quantities, and for many derived measurement quantities. NIST is also responsible for assessing the measurement uncertainties associated with the values assigned to these measurement standards. As such, the concept of measurement traceability is central to NIST=s mission. NIST=s customers frequently ask questions about traceability and about NIST=s role in traceability. It is not always obvious what NIST=s role is in helping other organizations establish traceability of their measurement results to standards developed and maintained by NIST. NIST has recently developed an organizational policy on traceability and a set of related supplementary materials, which includes answers to questions frequently asked by customers of NIST measurement services. The policy and supplementary materials are intended to serve as a resource for NIST customers. The primary purpose of the NIST Policy on Traceability is to state the NIST role with respect to traceability. The Policy presents the definition of measurement traceability used by NIST, and clarifies the roles of NIST and others in achieving traceability of measurement results for measurements both internal and external to NIST. The NIST Policy on Traceability also addresses the role of NIST in providing its customers with the tools they need (a) to assist them in establishing traceability of their measurement results, and (b) to assess the claims of traceability made by others. This is achieved directly through the provision of NIST measurement-related products and services, through collaboration with relevant organizations, through development and dissemination of technical information on traceability, and through conducting coordinated outreach programs. The Policy, along with Supplementary Materials and NIST publications, supports NIST in articulating a consistent message regarding its role in traceability, and provides a basis for NIST to focus its efforts on needed communication and training areas. Related NIST outreach programs, referenced in the Policy, also represent and articulate the NIST role in traceability. The Supplementary Materials are intended to assist NIST staff in their understanding, interpretation and implementation of the Policy, and to serve as a resource for NIST customers. The NIST policy and supplementary materials may be found on the NIST web site at http://www.nist.gov/traceability. We welcome your comments on these documents - what is useful, what could be improved, and what could be added to make them more usable to you - our customers. Please send your comments to traceablity@nist.gov. Faison to Represent NIST on NACC Doug Faison will represent NIST on the North American Calibration Committee (NACC). A memorandum of understanding (MOU) establishing NACC was signed in July at the National Conference of Standards Laboratories International 2001 Conference in Washington, D.C. The goal of NACC is to develop mutual confidence in national calibration laboratory accreditation systems. The participants of the MOU are the National Metrology Institutes (NMI) of the United States (the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)), Canada (the National Research Council (NRC)), and Mexico (the Centro Nacional de Metrologia (CENAM)) and their recognized representatives. The representatives of the NMI=s are the National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation (NACLA) in the United States, the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) in Canada, and the entidad mexicana de acreditación (ema) in Mexico. NACLA, SCC, and ema intend to accept each other as having primary responsibility in their respective countries for the maintenance of accreditation systems for calibration. Measurement Science Conference Again this year, NVLAP will have a booth at the Measurement Science Conference to be held January 24 and 25, 2002, at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California. NVLAP representatives plan to attend the reception on January 23 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. If you plan to attend to conference, please stop by Booth 17 to visit with us. Horlick at APLAC and ILAC Meetings In October, Jeffrey Horlick, NVLAP Technical Advisor, attended the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) General Assembly Meeting and committee meetings in China and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) General Assembly Meeting and committee meetings in Japan. At the meetings there were sessions on the uniform application of ISO/IEC 17025 around the world and on the acceptance of mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) by government regulatory bodies. ILAC has a multi-year initiative to work with regulators to increase the acceptance of MRAs. With the admission of CCIBLAC China and TLAS Thailand, the APLAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (APLAC MRA) now has 19 signatories in 14 economies. See www.aplac.org for details. APLAC has a total of 27 Member accreditation bodies. With the admission of ENAC Spain, SINAL Italy, DASMIN Germany, KAN Indonesia, SNAS Slovakia, ISRAC Israel, CCIBLAC China, and TLAS Thailand, the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC MRA) now has 42 signatories in 32 economies. See www.ilac.org for details. ILAC has a total of 53 Member accreditation bodies. Four new brochures are available from the publications page of the ILAC web site: Why Use An Accredited Laboratory?, Why Become An Accredited Laboratory?, How Does Using an Accredited Laboratory Benefit Government & Regulators?, and The Advantages of Being An Accredited Laboratory. New Training Web Pages for Assessors and Labs NVLAP recently added ISO/IEC 17025 and new assessor training resources to its web site: www.nist.gov/nvlap. With the conclusion of the recent Assessor Training Symposia series and the introduction of ISO/IEC 17025, NVLAP felt it was important to get as much of the training material on-line as possible. There are two new links on the Assessor Resources page: 1) NVLAP Assessor Training Syllabus and 2) APLAC 17025 Web-Based Training. The NVLAP Training Syllabus is the Table of Contents from the May 2001 Assessor Symposium Manual with links to training documents that are available on-line. It includes all of the presentations given at that symposium, as well as several APLAC and ILAC publications. Providing this material through NVLAP=s web site will enable assessors to keep their resource manuals up-to-date and facilitate training of new assessors who have not yet attended a formal training session. It will also provide assessors with instant access to frequently used forms and eliminate the need for faxing and mailing of these forms. While the NVLAP Assessor Training Syllabus is designed primarily for use by assessors, it contains information that may benefit laboratory staff as well. All NVLAP-accredited laboratories are encouraged to review this documentation. The second new feature is a link to the APLAC 17025 web-based training site. The purpose of this site is to familiarize laboratories and assessors with the requirements of the standard, and in particular, the additional or enhanced features of this standard. It also provides guidance on how the requirements are to be applied. The National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), Australia, developed the web-based training program on behalf of the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC), of which NVLAP is a member. NATA administers the web site and encourages APLAC members to use the program and provide feedback and input, especially by sending in scenarios and case studies that can be used to update and enhance the current program. During this program, users will need to refer to a hard copy of NIST Handbook 150:2001, sections 4 and 5. Log-in instructions are provided on the NVLAP page entitled AAPLAC 17025 Web-Based Training.@ Please note that while there is a quiz that provides a score, this will not be used by NVLAP or APLAC in any way. This is provided for the purpose of self-assessment, and the main objective is participation and familiarization with ISO/IEC 17025. Participants may return to the program as often as they wish. NVLAP is pleased to be able to offer this additional training tool to its assessors and laboratories and appreciates APLAC=s and NATA=s excellent work on this project! Questions and comments may be directed to Vanda White, NVLAP Quality Manager, at 301-975-3592 or vanda.white@nist.gov. NEWLY ACCREDITED LABORATORIESCALIBRATION LABORATORIES
ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
ASBESTOS FIBER ANALYSIS PLM
TEM
FASTENERS AND METALS
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY TESTING Common Criteria Testing
PRODUCT TESTING Commercial Products Testing
Efficiency of Electric Motors
Energy Efficiency Lighting Products
NVLAP News is published by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program, Standards Services Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Comments are welcome. Hazel M. Richmond, Editor, NIST/NVLAP, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2140. Phone: (301) 975-4016; Fax: (301) 926-2884; E-mail: nvlap@nist.gov. |
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For questions concerning the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program, contact us: National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program, Standards Services Division, NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2140, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2140 Date created: January 25, 2002 Privacy Policy / Security Notice / Accessibility Statement | Disclaimer | FOIA |
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