The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), a wholly owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), has extended its signatory status with the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) to include reference material producers (RMPs) under ISO 17034, General Requirements For The Competence Of Reference Material Producers. With the extension, ANAB's ISO 17034 accreditation program is now recognized internationally as meeting the requirements of ILAC.
While ANAB has been a signatory of the ILAC MRA since 2006, the extension for ISO 17034 reference material producers was signed on July 21, 2020. ANAB's MRA status includes, in addition to ISO 17034, accreditation for ISO/IEC 17025, General Requirements For The Competence Of Testing And Calibration Laboratories, ISO/IEC 17020, Conformity Assessment - Requirements For The Operation Of Various Types Of Bodies Performing Inspection, ISO 15189, Medical Laboratories - Requirements For Quality And Competence, and ISO/IEC 17043, Conformity Assessment - General Requirements For Proficiency Testing.
ANAB's accreditation program for reference material producers was previously recognized by two regional accreditation oversight groups, the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) and the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC), under their respective mutual recognition arrangements. ANAB was recognized as a signatory of the APAC MRA for accreditation of reference material producers in 2008. The IAAC MRA and ANAB's signatory status were extended to include ISO 17034 in 2017.
"The ILAC MRA and the regional MRAs enhance the acceptance of products across borders by eliminating the need for redundant tests, calibrations, and inspections, thereby effectively reducing technical barriers to trade," said R. Douglas Leonard, ANAB vice president for product, inspection, laboratory, and related activities. "The extension of the ILAC MRA to ISO 17034 reference material producers and ANAB's recognition under the MRA further serve to support product safety and quality while fostering global trade."
The ILAC MRA links the regional MRAs of APAC and IAAC, to which ILAC delegates authority for peer evaluations related to the MRA signatory status of ILAC members. Accreditation bodies that are MRA signatories have undergone a rigorous peer evaluation in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011, Conformity Assessment - Requirements For Accreditation Bodies Accrediting Conformity Assessment Bodies, to demonstrate their competence.
ANAB-accredited reference material producers are now eligible to use the ILAC MRA mark along with the ANAB accreditation symbol to identify the international recognition accorded their accredited activities.
For more information about ANAB accreditation for reference material producers, visit www.anab.ansi.org/reference-material-producers. Additional details about the ILAC MRA are available at ilac.org.