As was previously discussed, Hill Engineering was recently awarded ISO17025:2005 accreditation for our Quality System. Developing a Quality System that is compliant with ISO is a significant effort, and at Hill Engineering we took it as an opportunity to improve the quality and documentation of our laboratory residual stress measurement services. Here’s a look back on some of the highlights in the development of our Quality System.
One of the first steps in the process was identifying which industry standards were applicable to our Quality System. ISO/IEC 17025 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories is the primary ISO standard used by testing and calibration laboratories, and is the preferred standard for our customers at Hill Engineering.
The next step in the process was to identify an accreditation agency to review our Quality System. We selected the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) as our accreditation agency based on their strong industry reputation. From there it was a team effort that required input and contributions from many individuals and organizations to develop and implement our Quality System.
The most significant aspect of entire process was the development and documentation of the Quality System in the form of our Quality Manual. As you would expect from the leader in residual stress testing, our experimental techniques are carefully crafted and precisely controlled. Documenting these processes in our Quality Manual was a monumental task, but a worthwhile one nonetheless.
The last and most fulfilling step in the process was our onsite audit performed by the accreditation agency. This was an opportunity event for all of us at Hill Engineering, which enabled us to see the hard work from the past twelve months come together. Because of our detailed preparation, the Quality System audit went very smoothly and we were awarded ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation within a few days.
In the end, we created an accredited Quality System that has improved and continues to improve our laboratory’s processes from business, management, documentation, and technical testing; to quality results that we stand behind and proudly allow to represent Hill Engineering.
Please contact us for more information about our ISO17025 residual stress measurement services.
Hill Engineering gathers to celebrate receipt of our ISO17025 accreditation certificate
additional writing by Jarad George