Proficiency testing (an inter-laboratory collaborative trials) are an essential component of your quality management program. They are so much more than a ‘tick the box exercise’
According to ISO/IEC17025 and ANAB proficiency tests provide a mechanism for participating laboratories to review their results and those of other laboratories to facilitate[1] & [1]:
- Management of risk
- An evaluation and appraisal of their performance including:
- comparison of a facility’s performance with other facilities
- monitoring of a facility’s long-term performance
- Continuous improvement including:
- staff education, training, and competence monitoring
- evaluation of methods, including the establishment of method precision and accuracy
- contribution to a facility’s overall risk management process
- Corrective action (where required)
- Confidence building with interested parties (e.g. customers, accreditation bodies.
ISO/IEC 170433 states ‘Proficiency test items should match in terms of matrix, measurands and concentrations, as closely as practicable, the type of items or materials encountered in routine testing’
[1] ISO17025 (2017) General requirements for the competency of testing and calibration laboratories.
[1] ANAB ISO/IEC 17025:2017 – Forensic Science Testing and Calibration Laboratories Accreditation Requirements (2019)
3 ISO/IEC 17043:2010 Conformity assessment – General requirements for proficiency testing
Forensic Foundations International Proficiency Tests allow you to do more than just tick the box.
- Examine the end-to-end forensic process rather than just the analytical stage
- Developed by experienced forensic scientists
- Reflective of ‘real’ case work
- Participants undertake the work and report according to their own laboratory practices rather than a proforma
- More than just a collation of results
- Every set of results is reviewed by at least two experienced forensic scientists
- Value add; recommendations for improvement are provided
We are able to provide:
- Bespoke programs
- Declared and blind proficiency tests
- Validation sample sets
Our program covers the fields of:
- Biological Criminalistics
- Chemical Criminalistics
- Document Examination
- Fingerprint Examination
- Digital Forensics
For more detail or to discuss your particular needs, contact us at:
Or download the 2023 brochure from our website