Fall Newsletter 2020 - web version - Flipbook - Page 3
IAS Newsletter | Fall 2020
Forensic Laboratories
and Inspection
Agencies Accreditation
Forensic Testing and Calibration Laboratory Accreditation
IAS accreditation confirms that the Testing or Calibration Lab
complies with the ISO/IEC Standard 17025.
IAS accredited forensic testing or calibration laboratories
demonstrate to the marketplace and to regulators that accreditation requirements are met and are periodically monitored for
compliance. The accreditation process involves an assessment
of the forensic laboratories technical competence for performing
sampling, testing and/or calibration services. Forensic analysis
service providers will have a standardized, efficient system devoted to quality of testing performance with increased accountability.
2020 Forensic Lab Accreditation Policy
The United States Department of Justice mandated department-run forensic labs to obtain and maintain accreditation and
all department prosecutors to use accredited labs to process
forensic evidence when practicable as of December 2020.
Accreditation assesses a forensic lab’s capacity to generate and
interpret results in a particular forensic discipline and helps to
ensure an ongoing compliance to industry and applicable international standards.
IAS will assess and monitor the quality of the lab’s management
system by examining factors that include staff competence;
method validation; appropriateness of test methods; calibration
and maintenance of test equipment; testing environment and
quality assurance data.
Forensic Inspection Agency Accreditation
IAS accreditation confirms that the Inspection Agency complies
with the ISO/IEC Standard 17020.
IAS assesses forensic inspection agencies’ competence for
performing inspections and the consistency of their inspection
activities. IAS accredits agencies that perform inspections of
materials, products, installations or processes.
ILAC and IAF
Recognitions
IAS participation in ILAC and IAF technical meetings is of strategic importance and value because IAS operates
a diverse range of accreditation programs (testing, calibration, inspection,
management systems, product, persons) within the established ILAC and
IAF Multilateral and Mutual Recognition Arrangements (commonly known as MRAs/MLAs). IAS was recently recognized
under the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MRA)
for the scopes of ISO 45001 (OH&SMS) and IPC-PL-11-006
on March and May 2020 respectively (shown in italics below).
These new recognitions add to the already approved scopes of
IAS under the IAF MLA (full recognition below).
A valuable consequence of this scope extension expands IAS’
reach and stature as a full-service accreditation body serving
the interests of its constituents worldwide. The recognitions
received under IAF and ILAC allows international acceptance
of IAS accreditations based on the equivalence of other accreditation body’s accreditation programs through the establishment of regional MLAs/MRAs. Hence, providing world-wide
recognition and acceptance of IAS test reports, certificates
and those certificates issued by our accredited conformity
assessment bodies. The certified clients of accredited conformity assessment bodies help facilitate trade and commerce
amongst economies within regional groups which in turn serve
global markets.
The full approved IAF and ILAC MLA/MRA scope as of May
2020 is shown below:
GORD Labs Expands
their Scope of Accredited Testing to help Fight
the Spread of COVID-19
Gord Labs, an IAS accredited testing laboratory in
Doha Qatar reached out
to our technical staff on
May 1, 2020 to expand
their scope of accredited
testing to include hand
sanitizer. The assessment
was completed May 9,
and their updated certificate issued May 10th. Founding Chairman Dr. Yousef Alhorr
had this to say about the experience:
“Dear IAS Management Team,
On behalf of the EcoLab-GORD team I would like to extend our
appreciation and words of thanks to yourselves and your staff
for the excellent support and extraordinary efforts dedicated by
IAS to facilitate the expansion of the testing scopes of our laboratory ISO/IEC certification in a very short time and at a very
challenging situation given the immense pressures caused by
the widespread of the pandemic COVID-19.
We truly appreciate the business relations with your organization and look forward to a continued collaboration for the
benefits of both parties.”
Details of the expanded scope are shown in the charts below:
Main scopes
Product Certification - ISO/IEC 17065 - 26 May 2011
Certification of Persons - ISO/IEC 17024 - 26 Oct 2018
Sub scopes
Qualitative &
Quantitative analysis
of alcohols content in
Alcohol-Based Hand
Sanitizers obtained
according to WHO
Isopropanol
guidelines
Ethanol
Management Systems Certification - ISO/IEC 17021-1
Hand
Sanitizer
Level 4
Forensic Analysis Categories
Product: GlobalG.A.P. IFA General Regulations - 20 Mar 2019
IAS provides accreditation to the following forensic analysis
related categories:
MS: ISO/TS 22003
MS: ISO/IEC 27006
MS: ISO/IEC 17021-3
MS: ISO 50003
Chemical
Law enforcement agencies and crime laboratories
MS: ISO/IEC 17021-2
MS: ISO/IEC TS 17021-10
SOP/OPN/14 based on ASTM
E 168 and Perkin Elmer
application note using FTIR
Medical examiner offices and public health agencies
Environmental testing laboratories and breath alcohol calibration laboratories
Level 5
1 % to 100%
1 % to 100%
Quantification of Ethanol and
Isopropanol in Alcohol-Based
hand sanitizers
Product: GlobalG.A.P. IFA CPCCs
Animal drug testing laboratories
MS: ISO 22000 (FSMS)
MS: ISO 50001 (EnMS)
Computer/IT forensic investigation organizations
MS: ISO 9001 (QMS)
MS: ISO 45001 (OH&SMS)
Academic institutions
MS: ISO 14001 (EMS)
Persons: IPC-PL-11-006
MS: ISO/IEC 27001 (ISMS)
MS: ISO 13485 (MDMS)
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