EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017

ISO 17025 accreditation

TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium annually expands the number of tests under its ISO 17025 scope. ISO 17025 is an ISO standard specifically for test and calibration laboratories and provides guidelines for a good quality management system. It deals with quality of  business processes and how to guarantee quality in a quality system. In this way, these processes can be controlled, evaluated and improved. But what exactly are the advantages of an accreditation?

Added value

A good quality system guarantees confidence in the conformity of services, and therefore also in the test procedures and reporting. An ISO accreditation means that independent auditors from BELAC (the accreditation body in Belgium) are confident that 100% of all requirements of the ISO standard are met. To ensure this 100% compliance, control audits are conducted at set times.

Scope

An ISO 17025 accreditation is always linked with a scope which describes the specific tests under accreditation. The chosen tests under scope depend on the specialization of the company and the requirements of its customers. Any scope expansion must again be fully documented and described within the existing quality system and is subject to a new audit. Neutral salt spray test according to ISO 9227/ASTM B117// Acetic acid salt spray test according to ISO 9227 AASS// Continuous condensation test according to ISO 6270-2// Cyclic salt spray test according to SAE J2334// Evaluation on exposed panels according to CAT1E2001 standard// Coating thickness measurements according to ISO 2178 / ISO 2808 method 7C and ISO 2360 / ISO 2808 method 7D// Adhesion test according to ISO 2409, ASTM 3359 method B, ASTM 3359 method A// Wet adhesion test (ISO 2409 after exposure to boiling water, according to Qualicoat specification §2.16 method 1)// Machu test according to Qualicoat specification §2.11// Filiform corrosion test according to ISO 4623-2, according to Qualicoat specification §2.19// Evaluation of filiform corrosion according to ISO 4628-10, according to Qualicoat specification §2.19// Mass loss test on anodized aluminum according to ISO 3210 method 2

Mandatory?

An ISO 17025 accreditation is not mandatory. However, a laboratory with an ISO 17025 accreditation for a number of tests is generally one or a few steps ahead in terms of quality. Although laboratories rarely have all their tests under scope, the general fundamental quality-related aspects described in a quality manual must be met to obtain ISO 17025 accreditation.

International

The reports and certificates, issued by the institutions accredited by BELAC, are internationally recognized. BELAC has signed all agreements and recognitions that exist within the framework of the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA), International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and FALB (Forum of Accreditation and Licensing Bodies). All our accredited tests can be found here.