The ISO 17025:2017 Laboratory Survival Guide: An A to Z of Laboratory Activities to help secure both ISO 17025 compliance and improvement

TEQSUK has been working over the last three years to put together a Guide on how your laboratory can be both compliant to ISO 17025 and drive improvement to help secure competitive advantage. From the 2005 version of the standard, the Guide was revised as drafts of the new standard were released. The Guide, which is entitled 'The ISO 17025:2017 Laboratory Survival Guide' shows how to address all aspects of the new standard. In addition, it contains a large amount of relevant, additional information to aid practice and give underpinning knowledge on quality systems management.The Guide is a distillation of knowledge and experiences of several highly skilled scientific and quality professionals, gained from working in and managing laboratories. It is in an A to Z format, each section gives a comprehensive explanation as to what can or should be done; the reader can then compare this against what they currently have in the workplace. The concept is to provide a relatively simple format with figures, tables and checklists alongside the text to help understanding and improve practice.The Guide fills an evident need for practical help with the interpretation and implementation of the ISO 17025:2017 standard entitled: General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.We cannot trace comparable competition. The Guide addresses every clause or sub-clause in the standard and gives practical guidance, on many associated topics, to help improve understanding and give underpinning knowledge.The Guide can be used by all types of laboratories: A wide range of testing and calibration laboratories, medical laboratories and those compliant with the Good Laboratory Practice requirements.The Guide is aimed at a global market. Staff, at many levels, in chemical, microbiological, geotechnical, food, veterinary, nuclear, medical (ISO 15189:2012) as well as in a range of calibration and GLP laboratories should find much or all the text relevant for compliance with the standard and laboratory improvement. In addition, colleges and universities, including their laboratories, should find some sections helpful for teaching or practical use.The Guide is written in an A to Z format, covering all parts of the standard along with additional, associated information, which is linked to each section. Examples are: Quality control, quality assessment and assurance, layout and verification / validation of methods, traceability, reports, personnel, equipment and auditing.In addition, there is a cross-referencing table linking sections in the previous ISO 17025 standard and the current version to the Guide. There are also tables, figures, check-lists and appendices along with a bibliography for each section of the Guide.We would envisage it being used for several purposes. Key aspects would be: To help maintain laboratory compliance. To help ensure competence in laboratory training; as a reference manual to guide the production of documents within the Quality Management System; to guide responses to laboratory customer queries; to help enable 'continuing professional development', CPD and to drive laboratory improvement.The text is written in plain language, with a glossary, abbreviations explained, useful appendices along with tables, figures and specific text for items such as: The layouts for reports and methods / procedures, auditing check-lists and ways to reduce errors. The Guide should help translate 'ISO language' to user friendly ways of working.