L-A-B Recognition
Authority and Recognition
Laboratory Accreditation Bureau is a Nationally and Internationally Recognized Accreditation Body operating in the US recognized by NACLA and ILAC to perform accreditations of laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025. Our international ISO/IEC 17011 recognition is maintained through the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA). Our national recognition is maintained through the National Cooperation of Laboratory Accreditation (NACLA) stakeholder recognition process.
The international recognition process assures global acceptance of L-A-B accredited laboratories test reports and calibration certificates for the purposes of free trade and regulatory acceptance.
The national recognition process assures domestic acceptance by regulators who specify a scope of recognition by NACLA with or without their sector specific requirements.
U.S. Regulators and Specifiers utilizing the NACLA process and recognizing L-A-B are:
1. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) - L-A-B has added Construction Materials Testing (CMT) to it's NACLA scope of recognition and as a result is recognized to accredit laboratories to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requirements as specified in FHWA Quality Assurance Laboratory ... Qualification Program (23 CFR 637.209).
2. U.S. Navy - L-A-B has added the sector specific requirements of Sub-clause 5.3 of ANSI/NCSL Z540.3 to the scope of recognition for NACLA and as a result the US Navy recognized L-A-B to perform ISO/IEC 17025 accreditations along with ANSI/NCSL Z540 Sub-clause 5.3 requirements to meet US Navy requirements.
3. U.S. Navy has entered into a Navy Calibration Cooperative Agreement with L-A-B. Under this agreement, the Navy approves and accepts accreditations from calibration laboratory's accreditation bodies headquartered in the U.S. and recognized by a laboratory accreditation cooperation such as NACLA, APLAC and ILAC. L-A-B is recognized by NACLA, APLAC and ILAC.
4.1 Automotive Industry - L-A-B is formally recognized by GM as an approved third party laboratory accreditation body that suppliers to GM may use in order to meet the requirements of General Motor's GP-10 accreditation program. Through NACLA's recognition and approved scope, L-A-B's Accreditation Program has been recognized within QS-9000:1998 Third Edition as one option that commercial and independent calibration and testing facilities serving the automotive industry. Additionally GM defines (in GM Customer Specifics - for ISO/TS 16949) an "Accredited Laboratory is one that that has been reviewed and approved by a nationally-recognized accreditation body ..." such as L-A-B by NACLA.
4.2 Automotive Industry - In Chrysler Group LLC Customer-Specific Requirements for use with ISO/TS 16949:2009 and ISO 14001:2004, an Accredited Lab is defined as (ISO/TS 16949 clause 3.1.5) "An accredited laboratory is one that has been independently evaluated for technical competence. The criteria for evaluation are based on ISO/IEC 17025, or national equivalent. Accreditation is performed by qualified agencies (public or private) operating in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011." L-A-B is found to be in compliance with ISO/IEC 17011 by both NACLA and APLAC (ILAC) to accredit laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025.
5. The U.S. Coast Guard (Department of Homeland Security) has developed criteria to be used by its Life Saving & Fire Safety Division for the acceptance of independent laboratories that conduct initial and follow-up testing of lifesaving and fire protection equipment and materials that require Coast Guard approval. ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation from an accreditation body who is a recognized by NACLA (such as L-A-B) is required for acceptance of testing under the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Fire Test Procedure (FTP) Code.
6. Aerospace Industry - In Fokker Aerostructures B.V. Quality Requirements Cessna Aircraft Company AppB-CEen2008, Special Proccessors QMS audit may be waived for suppliers accredited to ISO 17025 with a scope of accreditation covering the Nadcap scope of accreditation and be from an approved NACLA / ILAC accrediting body, such as L-A-B.
6.1 Aerospace Industry - In Harlow Aerostructures, LLC supplier quality requirements, Special Processors QMS audit may be waived for suppliers accredited to ISO 17025 with a scope of accreditation covering the Nadcap scope of accreditation and be from an approved NACLA / ILAC accrediting body, such as L-A-B.
6.3 Aerospace Industry - In the Goodrich Aerospace Quality Systems manual requirements, Special Processors QMS audit may be waived for suppliers accredited to ISO 17025 with a scope of accreditation covering the Nadcap scope of accreditation and be from an approved NACLA / ILAC accrediting body, such as L-A-B.
7. General Services Administration (GSA) - In Star-of-Life Ambulance Specification KKK-A-1822F criteria for certifications are an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory by an accreditation body that is recognized by NACLA or ILAC (such as L-A-B) and the scope of accreditation shall include AMD tests 1-25.
8. National Association of State Fire Marshals - In a Guide for State Fire Marshals and their staffs for the purpose of describing how testing laboratories are accredited and the available accreditation standards, along with criteria for judging the credibility of the laboratory and its accrediting body. Nationally recognized (NACLA) and internationally recognized (ILAC) AB's (such as L-A-B) accredited laboratories should be deemed as the a way to assure testing was done by a creditable organizations for the basis of reliable data.
Additionally U.S. Regulators and Specifiers specify L-A-B by virtue of international recognition through ILAC:
1. DoD Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (DoD ELAP) - L-A-B is approved by the DoD Environmental Data Quality Work group (EDQW - US Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense Logistics Agency) to provide Environmental Laboratory Accreditation to all laboratories that need recognized by the DoD to perform environmental testing in support of the DoD environmental restoration programs at DoD operations, activities, installations, including government-owned, contractor-operated facilities and formerly-used defense sites (FUDS).
2. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the ENERGY STAR for Computers Verification and Testing Guidelines and Procedures Manual Version 1.0. According to the document, in order to conduct verification testing to determine whether the computer products meet the ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Computers Version 5.0, laboratories must be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. L-A-B meets the requirements of the EPA as a signatory to an internationally recognized mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) such as ILAC.
3. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recognized L-A-B to accredit testing laboratories under the USGv6 Test Program. This program requires that laboratories performing testing of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) products for use in the United States government be accredited by an ILAC MRA signatory.
4. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published notices in the Federal Register regarding accreditation requirements for third party laboratories that are testing in conformance with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 for lead in paint, cribs, pacifiers, small parts, and children's jewelry. According to these publications and the CPSIA, all products currently subject to the lead in paint regulation at 16 CFR 1303, all cribs subject either to 16 CFR 1508 or 1509, all pacifiers subject to 16 CFR 1511, small parts subject to 16 CFR 1501, and children's jewelry subject to the 600 ppm and 300 ppm lead content limits, must be tested by a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by an accreditation body (such as L-A-B) who is a signatory to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC MRA).
5. The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRC), in a letter, provides for acceptance of L-A-B accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 as a means of qualifying calibration laboratories to provide commercial-grade calibration services to the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The accreditation process is accepted in lieu of a supplier audit, commercial-grade survey, or in-process surveillance.
6. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized L-A-B as a laboratory accrediting organization working in cooperation with the EPA National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program. EPA established the National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program (NLLAP) to recognize laboratories capable of accurately analyzing paint films, dust, and soil samples for lead. Laboratories accredited by L-A-B for such analysis will be recognized as being capable by the NLLAP. L-A-B is identified as an EPA-recognized NLLAP body on the EPA website. EPA also makes public a list of laboratories that have been accredited.
L-A-B Fields of Accreditation
Testing
Acoustical
Biological
Chemical
Construction Materials
Durability
Electrical
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) / Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)
Energy Consumption
Environmental
Environmental Simulation
Information Technology
Mechanical
Microbiological
Non-Destructive
Optical & Radiometric
Thermal
Vibration and Shock
Calibration or Measurement
Accelerometry
Acoustics
Amount of Substance
Electrical
Fluid Properties and Quantities
Ionizing Radiation
Length
Luminous Intensity
Mass
Thermodynamics
Time and Frequency