ISO/IEC 17025 Certification Definition

ISO/IEC 17025 is a company level accreditation based on a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) titled "General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories". ISO/IEC 17025 is a general umbrella term used to refer to the specific standard; the current version of this standard is ISO/IEC 17025:2005. The standard contains two main sections: management requirements (primarily related to the operation and effectiveness of the quality management system within the laboratory) and technical requirements (primarily related to the competence of staff and calibration of equipment). The standard also gives requirements related to quality management such as document control and corrective action. This standard is the basis for accreditation from an accrediting body. This accreditation is specific to a scope.

This accreditation is intended for all organizations performing tests and/or calibration, including first-, second- and third-party laboratories and laboratories where testing and/or calibration forms part of inspection and product certification.

Accreditation will be issued by accrediting bodies after successful completion of an audit.