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Abbreviation | NABL |
---|---|
Predecessor | NCTCF [1] |
Merged into | Quality Council of India |
Formation | 1988 |
Founders | Department of Science and Technology (India) |
Type | Autonomous |
Purpose | Accreditation services |
Professional title | NABL |
Headquarters | Gurgaon |
Location | |
Region served | Pan India, International |
Services | Accreditation Services |
Key people | N. Venkateswaran (CEO) |
Main organ | Governing Body |
Affiliations | Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India) Government of India |
Staff | 100-200 |
Website | nablindia |
National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) provides accreditation to Conformity Assessment Bodies (Laboratories) in India. NABL Schemes include Accreditation (Recognition) of Technical competence of testing, calibration, medical testing laboratories, Proficiency testing providers (PTP) & Reference Material Producers (RMP) for a specific scope following ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 15189, ISO/IEC 17043 [2] & ISO 17034:2016 [3] Standards. It has Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) with Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC), International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
NABL is a constituent board of Quality Council of India which is an autonomous body setup under Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. [4]
NABL provides accreditation in all major fields of Science and Engineering such as Biological, Chemical, Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical, Fluid-Flow, Non-Destructive, Photometry, Radiological, Thermal & Forensics disciplines under testing facilities and Electro-Technical, Mechanical, Fluid Flow, Thermal, Optical & Radiological disciplines under Calibration facilities. In the field of Medical Testing laboratories accreditation is granted in Clinical Biochemistry, Clinical Pathology, Haematology & Immunohaematology, Microbiology & Serology, Histopathology, Cytopathology, Genetics, Nuclear Medicine (In-vitro tests only) disciplines. In addition, NABL offers accreditation for Proficiency testing providers & Reference Material producers for which it has APAC and ILAC MRA.
NABL is a Full member (ILAC MRA signatory) to ILAC [5] as well as APAC Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA), [6] based on mutual evaluation and acceptance of other MRA Partner laboratory accreditation systems. Such international arrangements facilitate acceptance of test / calibration results between countries to which MRA partners represent.
This developing system of international mutual recognition agreements between accreditation bodies has enabled accredited laboratories to achieve a form of international recognition, and allowed test data accompanying exported goods to be readily accepted on overseas markets amongst the countries which have already qualified as significant to ILAC Arrangements. [7] This effectively reduces costs for both the exporters and the importers, as it reduces or eliminates the need for products to be re-tested in another country.
NABL accreditation is the recognised by various government bodies [8] and regulators. In India, NABL accreditation is usually the precursor to various government/ regulator/ statutory body recognition's.
NABL being a governmental body conducts integrated assessments with regulators such as FSSAI, EIC, APEDA, etc. Integrated assessments simplify the process of recognition, as the laboratory can get accredited and recognized by the regulator in one combined assessment instead of the separate multiple assessments which are usually needed.
NABL provides accreditation to:
NABL conducts laboratory conclaves yearly. [13] In 2019, 8th National Conclave for Laboratories was conducted in Chennai. [14]
NABL celebrates World Accreditation Day (WAD) every year on 9 June. World accreditation day is celebrated to provide awareness on accreditation and how accreditation benefits its stakeholders. [15]
NABL's scope for accreditation extends to:-
Testing Laboratories: Biological, Chemical, Diagnostic Radiology QA testing, Electrical, Electronics, Fluid-Flow, Forensic, Mechanical, Non-Destructive testing, Photometry, Radiological and Software & IT system testing.
Calibration Laboratories: Electro-Technical, Mechanical, Fluid Flow, Thermal & Optical, Radiological, Thermal.
Medical Laboratories: Clinical Biochemistry, Clinical Pathology, Haematology and Immuno-haematology, Microbiology and Infectious Disease Serology, Molecular Testing, Medical Imaging, Histopathology, Cytopathology, Flow cytometry, Cytogenetics, Genetics, Nuclear Medicine (in-vitro tests only).
Laboratories seeking NABL Accreditation can apply on NABL Web Portal.
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.
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) 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.
HCT Co., Ltd. is a South Korean compliance testing and equipment calibration company that also develops particle counters and antennas. Founded in 2000 as Hyundai Calibration & Certification Technologies Co., the company is a spin-off from Hyundai Electronics, the world's second-largest memory chipmaker. HCT has testing and calibration sites in Korea, the United States, and China.
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, 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-centred, 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 on Elango Salai Rd, Mogappair West, Ambattur Industrial Estate, Chennai.
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Agilus Diagnostics Limited is a diagnostics company based in India providing diagnostic services in pathology and radiology. Agilus Diagnostics has its headquarters and corporate office in Gurgaon.
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Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate, established in 1980, is an authoritative body offering quality assurance services to IT and Electronics domains.