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A2LA 2014 Annual Report
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Recognition Of A2LA Programs
Recognition of A2LA programs includes formal written n The EPA requires all products bearing the WaterSense
agreements between A2LA and users of accredited label to be independently certified by a certification
organizations, officially documented endorsements of body who has been accredited by one of the approved
A2LA programs, and informal acceptance between accreditation bodies, of which A2LA is one. This certi-
A2LA and various parties. Below are listed the Federal fication provides consumers with confidence in both
agencies, State agencies, and private sector parties with the water efficiency and performance of WaterSense
whom A2LA had some type of formal written agreement labeled products.
of recognition or documented endorsement in 2014.
n The U.S Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recog-
n As of March 25, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and nizes A2LA as an “evaluation authority” as specified in
Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved A2LA as an ASTM C1077 “Standard Practice for Laboratories Testing
Accreditation Organization for the accreditation of clini- Concrete and Concrete Aggregates for Use in Construc-
cal laboratories under the Clinical Laboratory Improve- tion and Criteria for Laboratory Evaluation”, Sections.
ment Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) for all specialty and 3.1.1.1 and 11, and as a “national authority” as specified
subspecialty areas under CLIA. CMS grants this “deeming in ASTM D3666, “Standard Specification for Minimum
authority” to an Accreditation Organization if its require- Requirements for Agencies Testing and Inspecting Road
ments for laboratories accredited under its program and Paving Materials”, Section 8.1.5, Note 8.
are equal to or more stringent than the applicable CLIA
program requirements in 42 CFR Part 493. A2LA’s program n The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
requirements were found to meet or exceed the appli- recognizes A2LA as an “evaluation authority” as specified
cable CLIA requirements and, as a result, A2LA has been in ASTM C1077 “Standard Practice for Laboratories Testing
granted “deeming authority” by CMS. Concrete and Concrete Aggregates for Use in Construc-
tion and Criteria for Laboratory Evaluation”, Sections.
n The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office 3.1.1.1 and 11, and as a “national authority” as specified
of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) formally recog- in ASTM D3666, “Standard Specification for Minimum
nizes A2LA as a laboratory accreditation body working in Requirements for Agencies Testing and Inspecting Road
cooperation with the EPA National Lead (Pb) Laboratory and Paving Materials”, Section 8.1.5, Note 8.
Accreditation Program (NLLAP) to accredit lead (Pb)
testing laboratories. Laboratories seeking to be listed on n The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
the NLLAP approved list must comply with the additional National DNA Index Systems (NDIS) Procedures Board
Environmental Lead (Pb) Program Requirements. has approved the designation of A2LA as an accrediting
agency under the United States Federal DNA Identifica-
n A2LA is recognized by the United States Environ- tion Act (42 U.S.C. 14132). (http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/
mental Protection Agency (EPA) as an accreditation lab/biometric-analysis/codis/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet)
body for Product Certification Bodies wishing to certify As a designated agency, A2LA, through its Forensic
products for the EPA ENERGY STAR Program, as well as Accreditation Program, is recognized to accredit
being recognized as an accreditation body for testing laboratories performing DNA analyses on DNA samples
laboratories wishing to test products for this program. In obtained from identified subject(s) for the purposes of
January 2011, the EPA implemented a major overhaul to entering the resulting DNA profile or DNA record into a
the ENERGY STAR program, and began requiring third- DNA database, as well as laboratories performing DNA
party certification of all products which were to receive analyses on known or casework reference samples
the ENERGY STAR mark. Certification Bodies wishing to be considered evidence by that laboratory. In addition,
recognized by the EPA are required to gain and maintain A2LA is approved to perform biennial external audits to
accreditation to ISO/IEC Guide 65 from an IAF MLA the FBI Quality Assurance Standards in accordance with
signatory accreditation body located in North America. FBI QAS, Section 15.2, which requires that, at least every
Testing laboratories wishing to be recognized for product two years, an external audit be performed.
testing services must either hold accreditation to ISO/IEC
17025:2005 through a recognized accreditation body, or n The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
be part of a recognized certification body’s Witnessed requires that manufacturers and suppliers of certain
Manufacturer’s Test Lab (WMTL) or Supervised Manufac- electrical equipment, who intend to use a “Declaration
turer’s Test Lab (SMTL) program. A2LA is one of a select of Conformity” (DoC) on their products, must have the
few accreditation bodies recognized to offer product products tested by an accredited Electromagnetic
certification accreditation for the ENERGY STAR program, Compatibility (EMC) laboratory. Examples of devices
and is the only American accreditation body which can subject to DoC include, but are not limited to Class B
offer testing (ISO/IEC 17025) and product certification personal computers and peripherals; CB receivers; super-
(ISO/IEC Guide 65) assessments in a ‘one-stop-shop’ regenerative receivers, and TV interface devices. A2LA
setting. is one of the approved accreditation bodies under this
program. Laboratories seeking to be accepted by the
