ISO 17025 in petroleum testing: how to do it right?

Having an ISO 17025 sticker on your analyser is a nice thing to have, but not worth a lot. To be sure that the instrument is tested in accordance to the standard method, it is vital to understand the differences between accreditations.

Starting with the basics: each company offering performance evaluation should comply to all ISO 17025 requirements, which are determined and audited by an independent accreditation body, such as BELAC (Belgium), RvA (Netherlands), Cofrac (France), Ukas (GB), DKD (Germany)...

Next up is the manner in which the measurement is conducted. ISO 17025 temperature calibration? Easy.

ISO 17025 verification according to ASTM D93?

Not that easy. While the first one only takes the temperature into account, doing it the proper way means combining calibrations AND checks of all critical parameters in the working method (such as ASTM D93). So instead of just calibrating the temperature, you need to verify and adjust the display, barometric pressure, stirrer speed, heating rates,…

And here comes the catch: a company can only perform the testing in accordance to ISO 17025 if ALL required parameters are mentioned in its scope of accreditation.

European Lab Services is the only accredited company to perform ISO 17025 verification of petroleum analysers on-site. With the extension of their flexible scope, ELS has already written over 150 custom testing procedures and is capable of testing virtually all lab equipment for performance evaluation.

So, about that sticker…