Accreditation Process
ACCREDITATION
PROCESS
The accreditation process involves a thorough assessment of all the elements of a laboratory facilities and operations that contribute to the production of accurate test data. This evaluation is carried out by special Technical Assessors appointed by TTLABS to conduct the onsite assessment which may take a few days to complete depending on the size and scope of the operations being assessed.
At the end of the onsite assessment a report is generated by the assessors and the laboratory is allowed a time frame within which to correct any non-conformities detected during the assessment activity. Once there is successful closure of all non-conformities detected the assessment documents are forwarded by TTLABS to a Laboratory Accreditation Committee comprising three or more Technical Experts separate from the assessment team. The Laboratory Accreditation Committee will evaluate the assessment records provided and will cast a vote by ballot method on the granting of accreditation to the applicant laboratory. TTLABS will issue an accreditation certificate to the laboratory depending on the outcome of the voting process.
TTLABS’s accreditation cycle lasts for a period of three (3) years. A surveillance visit is conducted in the second and third years after the initial assessment on the anniversary date of the initial assessment. In the fourth year, the laboratory is re-assessed and issued a new accreditation certificate once there is satisfaction that the quality management system’s compliance with the standard is being maintained.