Nonconforming work under ISO/IEC 17025 (clause 7.10)
When work does not conform — an out-of-tolerance reference, a failed data-quality check, a wrong method — the response must be controlled, evaluated for impact, and recorded.
Clause 7.10 requires a procedure for nonconforming work — any aspect of laboratory activity or result that does not conform to the laboratory's own procedures or the customer's agreed requirements. The procedure must define responsibilities, evaluate the significance of the nonconformity, decide on its acceptability, and inform the customer and recall work where necessary.
Temperature-work examples
- A reference thermometer found out of tolerance at recalibration: every certificate issued since its last good calibration is assessed.
- A mapping dataset with a flat-lined sensor: the sensor is excluded, the impact on hot/cold-spot conclusions evaluated, the report amended.
- A logger calibrated at the wrong points for its use: the certificate is withdrawn and reissued.
ValiTrac's data-quality states (REVIEW REQUIRED, CRITICAL) and validation failures are designed to become nonconforming-work records rather than silent corrections.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a data-quality warning a nonconformity?
- It is a candidate. The evaluation of significance decides whether it affects results; the decision and its rationale are the record.
References
- [1]ISO/IEC 17025:2017 — General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
General technical guidance written against the cited sources. It is not regulatory or legal advice and does not replace the applicable standard, guideline or a qualified reviewer's judgement.
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