There are thousands of product laboratories in India today, but not all are accredited. If top authorities do not approve your lab, you will miss out on many of the benefits that accredited labs enjoy. This sometimes reduces the reliability of your product and also weakens your quality management system. Therefore, it is the best approach for labs to apply for accreditation. This post is just for you to tell you about the essence of laboratory accreditation, why it matters, its process, and more. 

What is Laboratory Accreditation?

Laboratory accreditation means official approval given to a lab in India. You have to go through certain documentation and assessment steps to get recognition from respected authorities. Laboratory accreditation helps lab owners to show the quality and technical standards of their lab and its methodology. This indicates that your laboratory is legally permitted to perform certain tests, evaluation methods, and measurements or calibrations accurately. If you test and inspect products like refrigerators and HVAC systems, your laboratory should be accredited by legal authorities like the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). That will help you to gain trust, recognition and credibility in the market. 

Why Laboratory Accreditation Matters?

As a product testing laboratory owner in India, you must obtain accreditation to demonstrate the reliability and credibility of your testing services. Let’s learn more about why laboratory accreditation is important:

Provides Quality Assurance

Accredited laboratories operate according to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, which is the international standard for testing and calibration laboratories. Such labs ensure the accuracy and reliability of their testing and calibration results. That ultimately helps you to offer your product testing services. And, manufacturers can trust your lab to meet all the legal requirements and standards of product quality, performance, and safety.

BIS Recognized

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is a legal body that sets rules and regulations for testing labs. If you want to perform mechanical testing, safety testing, performanceWhat is Laboratory Accreditation? Step-by-Step Process and Benefits testing, and environmental testing on a product, first, your methodology needs to be aligned with BIS standards. 

International Acceptance

Once your laboratory gets accreditation and certification by BIS, NABL and other bodies, you can now test products from different brands with confidence. Also, you can introduce your product to other countries. This is a major advantage once you’re a leading accredited BIS Lab in India. You have the confidence to gain approval both nationally and internationally.

Accreditation Process

If you want to apply for laboratory accreditation, you will typically need to follow these steps:

Application Submission

First, you have to start with the application submission. You need to require documented quality management systems, competent personnel, traceability, and others. Some common documents include proof of legal identity, laboratory structure, liability insurance, and other documents.

Document Review

The next step is about reviewing your documents. The NABL now reviews quality manuals, SOPs, and calibration records. They have a dedicated team that checks your every document to ensure you are ready for the next steps. The company evaluates documents and technical procedures to ensure they comply with international standards before an on-site assessment. 

Pre-assessment

This step is needed to identify any gaps or areas for improvement before the formal on-site assessment. That ensures addressing any nonconformities in its quality system and procedures. This step, which is performed by experts from authorities, helps you with the final assessment and ensures a smoother accreditation process. 

On-site Assessment

This is an important step in which the team now comes to the laboratory to physically inspect it. They gather information about your quality standards and technical expertise. They visit your laboratory to ensure that your entire operations meet an accredited NABL lab in India.

Corrective Actions

In the three steps above, if the experts find any discrepancies or problems with your NABL accredited lab. In this case, you have to ensure reworking and improving your quality and safety of your testing as per the standards. If everything is in order, you can proceed to the next step.

Accreditation Decision

This is the step where the team of experts will now decide whether to provide you with laboratory accreditation or not. If your lab meets all requirements as per the standards and regulations of the team. Now you can get recognition as an accredited NABL lab. However, the team continues its surveillance and renewal steps in order to see whether you are on quality, safety, and performance standards. 

Bottom LineOne of the major benefits of obtaining laboratory accreditation is that it helps you to test products with peace of mind. If your lab is accredited, product manufacturers can trust you. And they will visit your lab for their product evaluations and inspections. They will take your support to apply for BIS certification and other important requirements like Ecomark Registration and Environmental Compliance. This can also happen when your lab is accredited; otherwise, manufacturers may not be interested in you.