ISO 17034 – Reference materials – General requirements for the competence of reference material producers
Scope of the Standard: this Standard specifies general requirements for the competence and consistent operation of reference material producers (RMP), and sets out the requirements according to which reference materials are produced (all RMP, including certified reference materials). This guarantees the traceability to the international system of the unit of measurement included in the scope of the accreditation. In order to be fully understood and applied, ISO 17034 shall be considered together with other Standards (non-exhaustive list), such as ISO/IEC 17025 (Accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories) and the following ISO guides:
- ISO 33405 Reference materials — Approaches for characterization and assessment of homogeneity and stability
- ISO Guide 30 Reference materials – Selected terms and definitions
- ISO Guide 33 Reference materials – Good practice in using reference materials
Recipient of our consulting services: organizations (public and/or private) operating in the manufacturing of reference materials (RMs) and certified reference materials (CRMs).
Aim: RMs/CRMs are used in a wide variety of fields, such as measuring, calibration, methods check/validation, quality control, interlaboratory circuits, etc. For an organization operating in the manufacturing of RMs, accreditation according to ISO 17034 is strategic, as stressed by ILAC P10:07/2020 ILAC Policy on Metrological Traceability of Measurement Results document.
We support RMPs in the design and implementation of a Quality Management System aimed at the effectiveness and efficiency of the actions taken to promote metrological traceability in the Testing&Calibration sectors.
Some of our services (non-exhaustive list):
- Initial meeting with the customer: analysis of the existing operating processes
- Definition of the best path to take to integrate risk management within the organization management system
- Training of the personnel involved
- Support during the control phase
- Planning of the periodic monitoring audit
Some of the advantages deriving from the accreditation according to ISO 17034 Standard:
- Compliance to this Standard is a prerequisite for selecting and qualifying RM/CRM suppliers; this could lead to an increased number of customers pretending compliance with this Standard as a supplier qualification requirement
- The achievement of compliance with this Standard will lead to a greater company recognition (both at national/international level), as well as better business processes and a consequent increase in the business
