Why ISO 17025 matters for Indian laboratories
ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard for testing and calibration laboratory competence. In India, the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) is the sole accreditation body that assesses laboratory compliance with this standard. NABL accreditation is increasingly required — not just preferred — by regulatory bodies, sponsors, and global clients.
For Indian testing laboratories, NABL accreditation signals technical competence, operational consistency, and data reliability. It is the minimum credential for laboratories seeking work from international sponsors, government agencies, and regulated industries.
Scope definition: get this right first
The most common mistake laboratories make is defining an overly broad or overly narrow accreditation scope. Your scope should reflect the tests you actually perform for clients, using the methods you have validated, on the matrices you routinely handle. An ambitious scope that includes methods you rarely perform invites audit findings and ongoing compliance burden with no commercial return.
Method validation requirements
NABL expects full method validation for non-standard methods and method verification for standard methods adapted to your laboratory conditions. Validation parameters must include selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision (repeatability and reproducibility), limit of detection, limit of quantification, and robustness. Documentation must be thorough, traceable, and signed off by authorised personnel.
Measurement uncertainty: the most misunderstood requirement
Measurement uncertainty estimation is where most laboratories struggle. The requirement is not to eliminate uncertainty — it is to quantify it, report it, and demonstrate that your results remain fit for purpose within the stated uncertainty range. NABL assessors consistently find that laboratories either ignore uncertainty or apply overly simplistic calculations that do not account for all significant contributors.
The NABL audit process
The NABL assessment process involves a document review phase, followed by an on-site assessment by a lead assessor and technical assessors relevant to your scope. The on-site assessment typically spans 2–3 days and includes witness testing, record reviews, personnel interviews, and facility inspection. Non-conformities are graded, and you will have a defined period to submit corrective actions before accreditation is granted.
Building a sustainable quality system
The goal is not to pass the NABL audit — it is to build a quality management system that sustains accreditation through surveillance assessments and scope expansions over time. This means embedding quality into daily operations: internal audits, management reviews, proficiency testing, and continuous improvement cycles that actually function, not just exist on paper.
LaborWissen provides end-to-end ISO 17025 implementation support — from scope definition and gap assessment through method validation, uncertainty estimation, and mock assessment — designed to get laboratories accredited efficiently and stay accredited sustainably.