Winter Haven FL — Oxebridge Quality Resources has joined the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) as an organizational member. A2LA is a leading internationally recognized accreditation body offering accreditation for calibration and test laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025), Inspection Bodies (ISO/IEC 17020), Proficiency Testing Providers (ILAC G13, ISO/IEC Gide 43), Reference Material Producers (ISO/IEC Guide 34), Medical Laboratories (ISO 15189) and Product Certification Bodies (ISO/IEC Guide 65).
The decision to join A2LA does not impact on Oxebridge’s position that consultants must remain separate from registration or accreditation bodies, and Oxebridge does not endorse one ISO 17025 accreditation body over any other.
Oxebridge has designed its ISO 17025 Implementation Program around the requirements of both the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard and the specific “applications” of A2LA. Many accreditation bodies, such as A2LA publish additional program requirements that must be met in addition to the ISO/IEC 17025 requirements.
This arrangement is unlike other management system standard schemes, such as ISO 9001, where registrars are not allowed to apply unique interpretations to the standards they register.
As a result, an implementation firm like Oxebridge must not only develop expertise in the international standard, but also the specific applications of the accrediting bodies. For its ISO/IEC 17025 implementation program Oxebridge Specialists have been specifically trained under A2LA’s public course offerings, and the decision to become a member of the organization will further enhance Oxebridge’s ability to ensure its clients comply with A2LA requirements, if they choose A2LA as their accreditor.
Oxebridge’s program maintains compliance with other major accrediting bodies, however, and always emphasizes that the choice of accrediting body is to be made by the client, not any consulting firm.
A2LA membership is open to individuals, institutions and organizations; for more information, visit www.a2la.org. A2LA membership does not convey accreditation and conversely, being accredited does not mean the organization is a member of A2LA.
For information on Oxebridge’s ISO/IEC 17025 Implementation Program for calibration and test laboratories, click here.
Christopher Paris is the founder and VP Operations of Oxebridge. He has over 35 years’ experience implementing ISO 9001 and AS9100 systems, and helps establish certification and accreditation bodies with the ISO 17000 series. He is a vocal advocate for the development and use of standards from the point of view of actual users. He is the writer and artist of THE AUDITOR comic strip, and is currently writing the DR. CUBA pulp novel series. Visit www.drcuba.world
