Risk-Based Thinking in the Calibration Laboratory: Practical Examples

Abstract

Many calibration laboratory managers, who plan to become accredited or re-accredited to the new ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard, worry about how to address a new requirement of the standard: considering the risks and opportunities associated with laboratory activities. They may not realize that a well-run calibration tivities. Practical examples of consideration of risks and opportunities in routine laboratory activities such as calibration interval determination, out-of-tolerance investigations, root cause analysis of nonconformity incidences, etc., will be addressed, and suggestions on how to enhance, monitor and document such activities will be provided. Laboratory personnel will find that they do not have to start from scratch in order to comply with this new aspect of ISO/IEC 17025, but they can leverage and improve upon existing best practices.