Metrology is the scientific study of measurement. It establishes a common understanding of units, crucial in linking human activities. Modern metrology has its roots in the French Revolution's political motivation to standardise units in France when a length standard taken from a natural source was proposed. This led to the creation of the decimal-based metric system in 1795, establishing a set of standards for other types of measurements. Several other countries adopted the metric system between 1795 and 1875; to ensure conformity between the countries, the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) was established by the Metre Convention. This has evolved into the International System of Units (SI) as a result of a resolution at the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1960.
The International Organization of Legal Metrology, is an intergovernmental organisation that was created in 1955 to promote the global harmonisation of the legal metrology procedures that underpin and facilitate international trade.
Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks.
ISO/IEC 17025General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories is the main standard used by testing and calibration laboratories. In most countries, ISO/IEC 17025 is the standard for which most labs must hold accreditation in order to be deemed technically competent. In many cases, suppliers and regulatory authorities will not accept test or calibration results from a lab that is not accredited. Originally known as ISO/IEC Guide 25, ISO/IEC 17025 was initially issued by ISO/IEC in 1999. There are many commonalities with the ISO 9000 standard, but ISO/IEC 17025 is more specific in requirements for competence and applies directly to those organizations that produce testing and calibration results and is based on more technical principles. Laboratories use ISO/IEC 17025 to implement a quality system aimed at improving their ability to consistently produce valid results. Material in the standard also forms the basis for accreditation from an accreditation body.
ISO 15189 Medical laboratories — Requirements for quality and competence is an international standard that specifies the quality management system requirements particular to medical laboratories. The standard was developed by the International Organisation for Standardization's Technical Committee 212. ISO/TC 212 assigned ISO 15189 to a working group to prepare the standard based on the details of ISO/IEC 17025:1999 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. This working group included provision of advice to medical laboratory users, including specifics on the collection of patient samples, the interpretation of test results, acceptable turnaround times, how testing is to be provided in a medical emergency, and the lab's role in the education and training of health care staff. While the standard is based on ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001, it is a unique document that takes into consideration the specific requirements of the medical environment and the importance of the medical laboratory to patient care.
National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) is a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) program in the USA which provides an unbiased third-party test and evaluation program to accredit laboratories in their respective fields to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. NVLAP is in compliance with ISO/IEC 17011.
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation or ILAC started as a conference in 1977 to develop international cooperation for facilitating trade by promoting the acceptance of accredited test and calibration results. In 1996, ILAC became a formal cooperation with a charter to establish a network of mutual recognition agreements among accreditation bodies that would fulfil this aim.
Public health laboratories (PHLs) or National Public Health Laboratories (NPHL) are governmental reference laboratories that protect the public against diseases and other health hazards. The 2005 International Health Regulations came into force in June 2007, with 196 binding countries that recognised that certain public health incidents, extending beyond disease, ought to be designated as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), as they pose a significant global threat. The PHLs serve as national hazard detection centres, and forward these concerns to the World Health Organization.
Certified reference materials (CRMs) are 'controls' or standards used to check the quality and metrological traceability of products, to validate analytical measurement methods, or for the calibration of instruments. A certified reference material is a particular form of measurement standard.
The South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) is the official accreditation body for South Africa. Founded in 1996, SANAS is headquartered in Pretoria, South Africa. SANAS accreditation certificates are a formal recognition by the Government of South Africa that an organisation is competent to perform specific tasks.
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the sole national accreditation body recognised by the British government to assess the competence of organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. It evaluates these conformity assessment bodies and then accredits them where they are found to meet relevant internationally specified standards.
External quality assessment ('EQA), or external quality assessment schemes(EQAS) is a challenge of the effectiveness of a laboratory's quality management system, typically referring specifically to medical laboratories. The term external refers to the fact that that the laboratory's results are assessed by a third party. The most common EQA process is proficiency testing, in which an organization sends samples to a group of different laboratories and results are compared among the group. Retesting of the same sample by different laboratories and on-site visits to evaluate laboratory processes may also be part of an EQA scheme.
Forensic metrology is a branch of metrology applied to forensic sciences. Metrology has evolved various techniques for assessing the margin of error or uncertainty associated with measurements. Forensic laboratories and criminalistic laboratories perform numerous measurements and tests to support criminal prosecution and civil legal actions. Examples of forensic metrology include the measurement of alcohol content in blood using breathalyzers, quantification of controlled substances, and length measurements of firearm barrels. The results of forensic measurements are used to determine if a person is charged with a crime or may be used to determine a statutory sentencing enhancement. Other examples of forensic metrology includes tests that measure if there is a presence of a substance, latent print examination, questioned documents examination, and DNA analysis.
Founded in 2009, "Runningland Metrology & Testing (Shanghai) Co., Ltd" is a Shanghai-based accredited third party laboratory that specializes in instruments metering, condition monitoring, calibration and testing petrochemical products. The company was founded by David Zhou, who is an active member of STLE ASTM D2 Committee, and SAE, and co-founded by Ti Zhou who is a member of Shanghai Lubrication Trade Association. As a commercial third party laboratory, the organization also collaborates with educational institutions and research associations across China. Oil analysis is still a relatively developing idea and has become an increasingly important concept in The People's Republic of China. Because the oil analysis market in China is growing, Runningland has developed a lab that specializes in grease testing. In 2015, STLE has published a report indicating its previous activities and plans to expand into the China market by organizing the China Advisory Council, which consists of 15 prominent members of China's lubrication industry including David Zhou, Chairman and Co-founder of Runningland.
The Korea Testing & Research Institute (Korean: 한국화학융합시험연구원), abbreviated as KTR, is a testing and certification institute in South Korea which performs integrate testing, certification, and technical consulting for all fields of the industry.
Sundaram Medical Foundation is a community-centered, non-profit, trust hospital established in 1990 by S. Rangarajan. Sundaram Medical Foundation's main hospital premises operate at Shanthi Colony in the neighborhood of Anna Nagar, while an outpatient facility operates at Elango Salai Rd., Mogappair West, Ambattur Industrial Estate, Chennai.
The South India Textile Research Association, often known by acronym SITRA, is a textile research association established in 1956 at Coimbatore, India. SITRA is an Industry sponsored research institute supported by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. It is considered to be one of the best equipped textile research organisations in the world and its members apart from India include Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.
The National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) is the recognised national accreditation authority for analytical laboratories and testing service providers in Australia. It is an independent, not-for-profit organisation, governed by a board of directors that has representation from NATA members, industry, government and professional bodies.
The Department of Standards Malaysia is the National Standards Body and the National Accreditation Body, providing confidence to various stakeholders, through credible standardisation and accreditation services for global competitiveness. Governed by the Standard of Malaysia Act 1996, the Department of Standard Malaysia is an agency established on 28 August 1996 under the purview of Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).
Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate, established in 1980, is an authoritative body offering quality assurance services to IT and Electronics domains.
