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To help improve U.S. trade, the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program at the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology is now fully compatible with the international standards for laboratory accreditation and quality system management used by other accreditation systems worldwide.
Accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories under international standards provides assurance to U.S. manufacturers, exporters, government agencies and others that their test reports and services will be accepted in the global marketplace.
NVLAP operates its accreditation programs in conformance with ISO/IEC Guide 58: 1993 Calibration and Testing Laboratory Accreditation Systems General Requirements for Operation and Recognition, and laboratories accredited by NVLAP meet the requirements of ISO/IEC Guide 25: 1990 General Requirements for the Competence of Calibration and Testing Laboratories.
The new National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program 1996 Directory (NIST Special Publication 810) lists approximately 700 domestic and foreign testing and calibration laboratories that are accredited by NVLAP to meet the requirements of international standards as of January 1996. The directory is an important guide for identifying providers of assured quality testing and calibration services.
NIST Laboratory Accreditation Program chief James L. Cigler states that NVLAP has instituted a policy to bring the traceability of U.S.-made measurements into line with international practices. This requires testing and calibration laboratories to obtain their traceability either directly from a national laboratory or through other accredited calibration laboratories.
Cigler says, "The use of accredited calibration laboratories is an integral component of mutual recognition agreements between international trading partners. This will facilitate and promote broad acceptance of valid calibration and test results, thereby avoiding barriers to trade."
NVLAP accredits laboratories in the following fields of testing: acoustics, asbestos fiber, carpet, commercial products, computer applications, construction materials, electromagnetic compatibility and telecommunications, energy efficient products, ionizing radiation dosimetry, thermal insulation and wood-based products. The calibration fields for laboratory accreditation are dimensional, electromagnetic-DC/low frequency, electromagnetic-RF/microwave, ionizing radiation, mechanical, optical radiation, thermodynamics, and time and frequency.
The directory lists laboratories in alphabetical order, by field of accreditation, by state or country, and in numerical order by NVLAP Lab Code within listings of testing and calibration laboratories.
For a copy of the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program 1996 Directory (SP-810), send a self-addressed mailing label to: Laboratory Accreditation Program, Building 820, Room 282, NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, (301) 975-4016, fax: (301) 926-2884, e-mail: nvlap [at] enh.nist.gov (nvlap[at]enh[dot]nist[dot]gov).
As a non-regulatory agency of the Commerce Department's Technology Administration, NIST promotes U.S. economic growth by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements and standards.