Accreditation bodies and the ILAC MRA
National accreditation bodies assess laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025; the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement makes their accredited certificates equivalent across borders.
Accreditation is a third-party attestation of competence against ISO/IEC 17025, for a defined scope. Accreditation bodies are themselves peer-evaluated within regional cooperations (EA, APAC, IAAC, AFRAC, ARAC) and internationally under ILAC. The MRA means a calibration certificate from an accredited laboratory in one signatory economy is recognised in another.
What to verify
- The accreditation body is an ILAC MRA signatory for calibration.
- The laboratory's accreditation number and scope are listed on the body's public directory and are current.
- The certificate carries the accreditation symbol and number — a plain letterhead certificate from an accredited laboratory may be a non-accredited calibration.
ILAC-P10 sets the policy that makes this matter: accreditation bodies expect traceability to be demonstrated through accredited calibration or NMI services.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a certificate from an ISO 9001-certified laboratory equivalent?
- No. ISO 9001 certifies a management system; it does not assess measurement competence or verify uncertainty claims.
References
- [1]ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC MRA)
- [2]ILAC-P10: ILAC Policy on Metrological Traceability of Measurement Results
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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