, Published 7 Aug 2019
What are ISO 17025 standards?
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 is the international standard that sets the requirements for the competency of laboratories in testing and calibration. Getting certified for the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard means that a laboratory is recognized to be technically proficient in testing and calibration and is performing at par with other internationally accredited peers in the industry. This certification also helps facilitate easier acceptance of test results and minimizes or eliminates the need for retesting.
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Checklist (Internal Audit)
An ISO 17025:2017 checklist is a tool used to determine a laboratory’s competency in testing and calibration according to the requirements set by the ISO 17025:2017 standard. This ISO 17025 template contains 5 main sections according to the standard’s requirements: general, structural, resource, process, and management system requirements. With the SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) app and software, laboratory managers, chemists, and metrologists are empowered to:
- Make relevant notes corresponding to non-compliant items.
- Assign corrective actions to immediately address opportunities for improvement.
- Automatically generate and submit reports using mobile devices.
- Analyze audit results and watch out for trends to proactively improve processes.
- Use the collected information to further improve laboratory competency.
In this article
- What is an ISO 17025 Checklist?
- What is the difference between ISO 17025 and ISO 9001?
- 5 Practical Steps to Prepare for ISO 17025 Certification
- Technology to Help Prepare for ISO 17025 Certification
- Digital ISO 17025 Checklists
What is an ISO 17025 Checklist?
An ISO 17025:2017 checklist is a tool used by laboratory managers or metrologists to determine if a laboratory meets the required competencies for testing and calibration set by the ISO 17025:2017 standard. It contains the 5 main sections of the standard’s requirements: general, structural, resource, process, and management system requirements.
What is the difference between ISO 17025 and ISO 9001?
ISO 17025 and ISO 9001 are both quality management systems. But what sets them apart is the scope and the requirements. The requirements for ISO 17025 are specific to testing and calibration laboratories only. Meanwhile, ISO 9001 applies to organizations in all industries.
5 Practical Steps to Prepare for ISO 17025 Certification
To ensure that a laboratory is prepared for ISO 17025:2017 certification, a coordinated effort within the organization is required. Here are 5 steps to follow in preparation for third-party certification:
- Be familiar with the ISO 17025:2017 standard; if the organization chooses option B for the standard’s management system requirement, be sure to review the ISO 9001 standard as well.
- Conduct internal audits to determine gaps and discover areas for improvement.
- Analyze the audit results and use the information collected to train employees and align processes with the standard.
- Ensure that the audit results, changes in the processes, and laboratory and employee competencies are well documented.
- Contact a recognized third party auditor and apply for ISO 17025 certification.
Technology to Help Prepare for ISO 17025 Certification
Why SafetyCulture?
Implementing processes that are aligned with the ISO 17025:2017 standard and providing documentation that the standard requires can be costly and time-consuming. SafetyCulture, the world’s most powerful auditing app, can help laboratory managers and metrologists save time and costs through efficient and mobile monitoring of laboratory competencies. With the SafetyCulture mobile app and software, you can:
- Create mobile-ready ISO 17025:2017 checklists to be used for internal audits.
- Schedule regular audits to ensure continuous monitoring of compliance.
- Immediately assign corrective actions even during audits.
- Save hours in report generation using the mobile app that creates comprehensive ISO 17025 reports as you finish an audit. Preview a sample ISO 17025 PDF and web report.
- Analyze internal audit results to determine readiness for third-party certification and use the collected information to further improve competency.
- Use for free with small teams. Unlimited reports and storage for premium accounts.
Digital ISO 17025 Checklists
Bonus! ISO 9001 Checklist
Use this digital ISO 9001:2015 checklist to help meet the management system requirement of ISO 17025:2017 (option B) and determine gaps in implementing the ISO 9001:2015 standard. SafetyCulture checklists can be edited according to your needs and shared among teams.
