Standards

 This standard specifies the general requirements for a laboratory safety management system, which will enable a laboratory to formulate a policy and objectives. It takes into account legislative requirements and information about significant risks, that the laboratory can control and over which  it can be expected to have an influence, to protect its employees and others, whose health and safety may be affected by the activities of the laboratory. 

This standard specifies the general requirements for a laboratory safety management system, which will enable a laboratory to formulate a policy and objectives, taking into account legislative requirements and information about significant risks, which the laboratory can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence, to protect its employees and others, whose health and safety may be affected by the activities of the laboratory. In addition this standard specifies specific requirements for medical laboratories. This standard is applicable to any laboratory that wishes to: (a) implement, maintain and improve an Occupational Safety and Health Management System; (b) assure itself of its conformance with its stated safety policy; and (c) make s self-determination and self –declaration of conformance with this standard.

This international standard specifies requirements for quality and competence in medical laboratories. It can be used by medical laboratories in developing their quality management systems and assessing their own competence. It can also be used for confirming or recognizing the competence of medical laboratories by laboratory customers, regulating authorities and accreditation bodies.

This standard specifies the requirements for the operation of POCT sites with special requirements for VCT and PMTCT sites. The requirements of this standard apply when testing is carried out at POCT, VCT, PMTCT and community testing sites. This standard does not cover home testing or self testing sites

This International Standard contains requirements for the competence, consistent operation and impartiality of product, process and service certification bodies. Certification bodies operating to this International Standard need not offer all types of products, processes and services certification. Certification of products, processes and services is a third-party conformity assessment activity (see ISO/IEC 17000:2004, definition 5.5).

In this International Standard, the term “product” can be read as “process” or “service”, except in those instances where separate provisions are stated for “processes” or “services” (see Annex B).

This part of ISO/IEC 17021 contains principles and requirements for the competence, consistency and impartiality of bodies providing audit and certification of all types of management systems.

Certification bodies operating to this part of ISO/IEC 17021 do not need to offer all types of management system certification. Certification of management systems is a third-party  conformity assessment activity (see ISO/IEC 17000:2004, 5.5) and bodies performing this activity are therefore third-party conformity assessment bodies.

Certification of management systems is a third-party conformity assessment activity (see ISO/IEC 17000:2004, 5.5) and bodies performing this activity are therefore third-party conformity

assessment bodies.

ISO/IEC 17021:2006 contains principles and requirements for the competence, consistency and impartiality of the audit and certification of management systems of all types (e.g. quality management systems or environmental management systems) and for bodies providing these activities. Certification bodies operating to this International Standard need not offer all types of management system certification.

Certification of management systems is a third-party conformity assessment activity. Bodies performing this activity are therefore third-party conformity assessment bodies.

This international standard gives specific requirements applicable to point-of-care testing and is intended to be used in conjunction with ISO 15189. The requirements of this International standard apply when POCT is carried out in hospital , clinic and by a healthcare organization providing ambulatory care. This International standard can be applied to transcutaneous measurements ,the analysis of expired air, and in vivo monitoring of physiological parameters. Patient self-testing in a home or community setting is excluded, but elements of this International standard can be applicable.

This document specifies general terms and definitions relating to conformity assessment (including the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies) and to the use of conformity assessment to facilitate trade.

The general principles of conformity assessment and a description of the functional approach to conformity assessment are provided in Annex A. 

Conformity assessment interacts with other fields such as management systems, metrology, standardization and statistics. The boundaries of conformity assessment are not defined in this document.