News

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11/06/2020

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TRANSITION PERIOD FOR ISO/IEC 17025 EXTENDED!

As a result of the recent ILAC ballot the transition period for ISO/IEC 17025:2017 adopted as part of the ILAC Resolution GA 20.15 (November 2016) has been extended from 30 November 2020 to 1 June 2021. This extension has been granted to ensure all accreditation bodies and the accredited laboratories are able to achieve the remaining transitions in a robust manner under the restrictions imposed as a result of the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.
At the end of the transition period, the accreditation of a laboratory to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 will not be recognised under the ILAC Arrangement.

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04/09/2019

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Revised ILAC G8 Published!

As a result of the recent ballot, ILAC G8: 09/2019 Guidelines on Decision Rules and Conformity Declaration  has been published. This publication was extensively revised by the ILAC Accreditation and Laboratory Committees to provide guidance to laboratories, assessors, regulators and customers in the use of decision rules when issuing statements of conformity to specifications or standards as required in the 2017 edition of ISO/IEC 17025.

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20/11/2018

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The new kilogram approved!

The International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) has vote and approved the revision of the definitions of the SI base units at the 26th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) on 16 November 2018. The new definitions will come into force on 20 May 2019.
The metric system was originally conceived as a system of measurement that was derivable from unchanging phenomena. However, when the metric system was first introduced in France in 1799, technical limitations necessitated the use of artefacts (the prototype metre and prototype kilogram) instead. In 1960 the metre was redefined in terms of the wavelength of light from a specified source, making it derivable from natural phenomena, leaving the prototype kilogram as the only artefact (metal cylinder of an alloy of platina and iridium with diameter and height of about 39 mm) upon which the SI unit definitions depend. Due to the approval of the redefinition, the metric system (SI) will, for the first time, be wholly derivable from natural phenomena.

The redefinition can be summarised as follows:
There will still be the same seven base units (second, metre, kilogram, ampere, kelvin, mole, and candela). Of these, the kilogram, ampere, kelvin and mole will be redefined by choosing exact numerical values for the Planck constant, the elementary electric charge, the Boltzmann constant, and the Avogadro constant, respectively. The second, metre and candela are already defined by physical constants and it is only necessary to edit their present definitions. The new definitions will improve the SI without changing the size of any units, thus ensuring continuity with present measurements.

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1/11/2018

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The new ISO 31000 keeps risk management simple…..

The revised standard for Risk Management -Guidelines, ISO 31000, is published in February 2018….

ISO 31000:2018, Risk management – Guidelines, provides principles, framework and a process for managing risk. It can be used by any organization regardless of its size, activity or sector.

Using ISO 31000 can help organizations increase the likelihood of achieving objectives, improve the identification of opportunities and threats and effectively allocate and use resources for risk treatment.

However, ISO 31000 cannot be used for certification purposes, but does provide guidance for internal or external audit programmes. Organizations using it can compare their risk management practices with an internationally recognised benchmark, providing sound principles for effective management and corporate governance.

Related Standard

IEC 31010:2009, Risk management – Risk assessment techniques focuses on risk assessment. Risk assessment helps decision makers understand the risks that could affect the achievement of objectives as well as the adequacy of the controls already in place. IEC 31010:2009 focuses on risk assessment concepts, processes and the selection of risk assessment techniques.