Page 12 - 2014 A2LA Annual Report
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A2LA 2014 Annual Report
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Assessors Training Program
Assessor selection is based on confirmation of the asses- A2LA’s Training Program provides a variety of courses
sor’s technical expertise, successful completion of the designed to help organizations achieve and maintain
training process, and continued satisfactory performance accreditation to international standards. Courses have
of assessments. The key requirement is knowledge of the been developed to:
technology in the areas the assessors will be assessing. All
testing and calibration assessors are required to pass the n Aid in establishing a management system that works
five-day A2LA assessor orientation course that includes with and enhances organizations as a whole.
instruction on ISO/IEC 17025 and on A2LA’s policies
and procedures for performing assessments. Specialty n G uide prospective applicants through the assessment
assessor orientation courses are also held in the areas and internal audit processes.
of product certification (focusing on ISO/IEC 17065),
inspection (focusing on ISO/IEC 17020), clinical testing n A id in understanding how quality principles apply to
laboratories (focusing on ISO 15189 and CLIA require- various organizations.
ments), proficiency testing providers (focusing on ISO/IEC
17043) and reference material producers (focusing on n Explain specific concepts, such as root cause analysis,
ISO Guide 34). measurement uncertainty, etc.
A2LA lead assessors must be approved by the A2LA The mission of A2LA’s public training program is to provide
Director of Accreditation Services on a yearly basis. The world-class training and continuing education services
names of new lead assessors are submitted to the Direc- for testing and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies,
tor of Accreditation Services once they have successfully proficiency testing providers, reference material produc-
passed the staff evaluation to conduct the technical and ers, and product certifiers to help achieve and maintain
management system portions of the on-site assessment. accreditation to international standards.
Returning assessors must also be evaluated on a regular
basis. There were more than 150 contracted assessors in Training course enrollment was very strong in 2014. The
2014. following classes were publicly offered:
30 additional new assessors were initiated into the asses- n Assessment of Laboratory Competence
sor training program, 22 of whom successfully completed
the A2LA assessor evaluation process and 4 of whom n Fundamentals of Force Calibration and Measurement
have been approved as lead assessors by the end of Uncertainty Boot Camp
2014. Over 250 names of additional testing and calibra-
tion experts are on file as potential assessors. n Internal Auditing
More than 100 assessors attended the 2014 A2LA Techni- n Introduction to Measurement Uncertainty
cal Forum and Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland
to discuss issues affecting accreditation and to develop n ISO 15189:2012 and CLIA Clinical Laboratory
policies to further consistency and uniformity in assess- Accreditation
ments. Measurement uncertainty, traceability, and
proficiency testing were the main topics of discussion. n ISO Guide 34:2009 and Accreditation for Reference
Material Producers
Many of A2LA’s trained and qualified assessors are
also private consultants who are willing to offer their n ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Advanced: Beyond the Basics
own consulting services to prepare organizations for
the accreditation process. An interested organization n ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and Laboratory Accreditation
may contact A2LA and A2LA will provide a list of those
consultant assessors best technically qualified to assist n M easurement Performance Improvement Using
the organization’s accreditation efforts in the relevant Statistical Tools
technical area. The chosen consultant then works with
the organization, independent of A2LA and its accredita- n Measurement Uncertainty Advanced Topics
tion program. If the organization subsequently chooses
to apply to A2LA for accreditation, that consultant n Measurement Uncertainty for Testing Laboratories
assessor cannot serve on the assessment team for that
organization. n Proficiency Testing: ISO/IEC 17043 and ISO 13528
n Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action
A2LA has been very active in increasing the number
and variety of training programs available to members,
accredited organizations and the public. In addition to our
traditional public courses, we also offer training provided
at a customer’s location (upon request) as well as training
partnerships with a variety of organizations.
