ISO/IEC 17043 Conformity assessment - General requirements for the competence of proficiency testing providersingis the main document used for accreditation of public, university, private proficiency testing providers.
The revision studies of ISO/IEC 17043, which started in 2020, were carried out in the ISO CASCO Working Group 57, in which TÜRKAK also took part. The aim of the revision is to make the structure and content similar to other recently reviewed ISO standards and to reflect changes in current practices and technologies. The standard was published on May 9, 2023.
When the main changes are examined, the structural form of the standard has been compared to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. In addition to its structural similarity, it has been harmonized with the quality and technical articles of ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001:2015. A system that is risk and opportunity oriented and encourages continuous improvement is emphasized. Another obvious change is to integrate revisions in the ISO 13528 standard to which the standard relates and reflect common ISO/CASCO PROC 33 elements. In the preparation phase of the proficiency test, there is a direct reference to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard for testing and calibration activities, and to ISO/IEC 17034:2016 in the case of using certified reference materials. There is also the deletion of Annex C in ISO/IEC 17043:2010 version and the revision of Annex A and Annex B.
A transition period of 3 years has been determined by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) for proficiency testing providers to comply with this standard. At the end of this period, all proficiency testing providers accredited according to ISOIEC 17043:2010 must have completed their transition to the ISO/IEC 17043:2023 version . The Turkish Accreditation Agency's transition policy, application, assessment and training calendars will be shared with you in the coming days.
