AASHTO re:source has been performing assessments for ISO/IEC 17025 since March 2000. The title of this ISO standard is “General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories". ISO is the International Organization for Standardization and this internationally-recognized standard is specifically geared towards testing and calibration laboratories, as its title states.
Accreditation for ISO/IEC 17025 is available to all laboratories that are currently accredited by the AASHTO Accreditation Program (AAP) for AASHTO R 18, in any testing field(s). Many requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 are similar to AASHTO R 18. However, there are several
additional requirements, including those related to metrological traceability, externally provided products and services, contract review, sampling, complaints, addressing risks and opportunities, and management review. You may purchase a copy of the standard at
www.ansi.org or
www.iso.org to review the requirements.
If your organization desires worldwide recognition of your products or services, or if you simply want to go the extra step in the pursuit of quality, recognition for ISO/IEC 17025 may be of interest to you.
View a list of laboratories currently accredited for ISO/IEC 17025.
The Assessment
The ISO/IEC 17025 assessment is usually a combined assessment with your regular AASHTO re:source assessment, which involve demonstrations of test methods and a thorough review of the requirements in AASHTO R 18 as well as other ASTM quality management system standards selected by the laboratory. For laboratories that only receive a CCRL technical assessment, a separate assessment covering ISO/IEC 17025 will be performed by AASHTO re:source personnel. The ISO/IEC 17025 assessment begins with an opening meeting and a walk-through of the laboratory. A review of each requirement in the standard is then conducted, which involves an in-depth review of the laboratory's quality management system (QMS) documentation, interviews with laboratory staff regarding their job duties and the QMS, and a thorough review of records that are required by ISO/IEC 17025. The laboratory’s QMS is also evaluated based on the criteria specified by the AASHTO Accreditation Program (AAP) for AASHTO R 18 accreditation. However, demonstrations of test methods are typically not required during the ISO/IEC 17025 assessment. The findings will be discussed with laboratory personnel at the end of the assessment.
Getting Started
The process for obtaining accreditation for ISO/IEC 17025 is simple – just submit the following information:
- ISO/IEC 17025 Assessment Request Form:
- Login to the AASHTO re:source website with your e-mail and password
- Request an Assessment
- Follow Steps 1-4 in the request, ensuring that the “Request AASHTO Accreditation” and “ISO/IEC 17025” buttons are selected in Step 2 (AASHTO R18 will be unselected)
- Click “Submit Request”
- Email the following documents to info@aashtoresource.org:
- A current copy of your laboratory’s quality manual
- Records of your laboratory’s most recent internal audit
- Records of your laboratory’s most recent management review
Scheduling the Assessment
Once the required information is received, a review of the laboratory's documentation takes place in the AASHTO re:source office. If the majority of the documentation requirements in the standard have been met, an assessment is scheduled for a mutually agreeable date. If there are shortcomings with the documentation, AASHTO re:source staff will work with you to ensure everything is in order before an assessment is scheduled. The first ISO/IEC 17025 assessment is typically scheduled for two days, in addition to the technical assessment time.
Accreditation Requirements
Each ISO/IEC 17025 assessment concludes with a preliminary report of the findings. The AAP requires that corrective actions for each finding be resolved within 60 days of the final report.
Fees and Schedule of Future Assessments
A $500 non-refundable fee must be paid by laboratories that are adding ISO/IEC 17025 to their accreditation scope for the first time. This payment must be received before the assessment is scheduled. The $500 payment will be applied to the final invoice after the first ISO/IEC 17025 assessment has been completed.
Visit the Laboratory Assessment Program’s
Tests and Fees page for a description of fees. The Base Fee is charged once for a combined technical assessment and ISO/IEC 17025 assessment. The Base Fee is charged for stand-alone ISO/IEC 17025 assessments that do not include a technical assessment. Once a laboratory is accredited for ISO/IEC 17025, a surveillance assessment is conducted during the next technical assessment. A surveillance assessment for ISO/IEC 17025 is typically shorter, lasting approximately one day. After that, ISO/IEC 17025 assessments alternate between full assessments and surveillance assessments and occur at the same time as the technical assessment.