Basseterre, St. Kitts (SKNBS): The St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards (SKNBS), as of January 25th, 2024, is now internationally accredited with ISO17025 in Air Quality. This is the first laboratory in the Federation to receive this prestigious International Accreditation and the first Air Quality lab to be accredited in the Caribbean and the Western Hemisphere.
This accreditation will set the standard by which all other labs in the Federation will be benchmarked. It will also enable the Bureau to offer this type of support to all labs in the Federation that perform tests, private and public, moving forward.
A small island nation like St. Kitts and Nevis receiving ISO 17025 accreditation, means that its testing and calibration laboratories have met the requirements of this internationally recognized standard. This demonstrates to other countries that the laboratories at the Bureau are technically competent in producing reliable and accurate results.
The Bureau of Standards continues on this path for International Accreditation for three (3) additional labs within the Multipurpose Laboratory namely; (Microbiology, Chemistry and Metrology) which should be ready for 2025. Moreover, the Bureau of Standards itself as the overarching body is also nearing a state of readiness for International Certification in ISO9001 (Quality Management Systems) which we expect to be granted later in 2024.
ISO 17025 Benefits
ISO 17025 is an internationally recognized standard that outlines the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Accreditation to this standard demonstrates that a laboratory meets a set of criteria for technical competence, management system, and quality assurance, and provides many benefits to laboratories, including:
Improved Credibility and Recognition: Accreditation to ISO 17025 enhances the reputation and credibility of a laboratory, as it demonstrates that it has met a recognized international standard. This can help the laboratory to gain recognition from customers, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders.
Improved Quality of Results: ISO 17025 accreditation requires that laboratories have a quality management system in place, which includes procedures for managing the quality of testing and calibration activities. This leads to improved accuracy, reliability, and consistency of results.
International Acceptance: ISO 17025 accreditation is recognized globally and accepted by developed countries. Laboratories accredited to this standard can demonstrate their competence to clients and customers across the world.
Improved Efficiency and Effectiveness: Accreditation to ISO 17025 requires laboratories to have documented procedures in place for all aspects of their work. This helps to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of laboratory operations, reducing the risk of errors and improving productivity.
Competitive Advantage: Accreditation to ISO 17025 provides a competitive advantage to laboratories by demonstrating their technical competence and commitment to quality. This can lead to increased business opportunities and improved customer satisfaction.
Overall, ISO 17025 accreditation provides many benefits to laboratories, including improved credibility and recognition, improved quality of results, international acceptance, improved efficiency and effectiveness, and a competitive advantage in the market.