Lab work is critical to everyday life in Australia. Our health and safety relies on the testing, measurement, and inspection that our laboratories perform; whether it’s checking for pesticide residue on our food, ensuring the airbags in our cars are safe, generating blood test results, or testing the quality of subgrade and construction material so structures do not collapse. The products we buy and the services we use are expected to meet certain standards.
But what about the tests themselves? The work performed in labs is routinely subject to inspection. In Australia, the National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA) provides accreditation services for laboratories and technical facilities. NATA serves the public interest by checking that organisations comply with relevant international and Australian standards, helping to ensure that government, industry and the wider community are provided with consistently reliable testing, calibration, measurement and inspection data.
The criteria for determining a facility's competence are based on the relevant standards and includes:
The qualifications, training and experience of staff;
Correct equipment that is properly calibrated and maintained;
Adequate quality assurance procedures;
Appropriate sampling practice.
Specific accreditation criteria for the ISO/IEC 17025 General Requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories often require staff releasing results to demonstrate their ability to evaluate the validity of test results via a combination of academic qualifications and practical experience as follows:
A degree in a subject relevant to the testing concerned and a minimum of 2 years’ practical experience;
A diploma or certificate IV in a subject relevant to the testing concerned and a minimum of 5 years’ practical experience;
No tertiary qualifications and a minimum of 10 years practical experience.
Staff may be required to demonstrate practical experience including:
Sound knowledge of the principles of the core competencies related to the relevant testing, including participation in proficiency testing and / or internal staff assurance programs
Sound understanding of quality control data including:
o Results of method controls run in conjunction with testing
o Results of quality control checks on consumables
Awareness of the status of equipment checks and calibrations
Understanding of the requirements for sample acceptance applied to samples under test
Understanding of the principles and application of measurement uncertainty
Understanding of the NATA requirements for the content and issue of test reports, including the use of the NATA endorsement
LTT provides lab-specific training to over 100 accredited laboratories throughout Australia, working in a variety of sectors including environmental, health care, and construction materials testing, to help them meet their compliance obligations with NATA.