Biological Testing Program

A2LA’s biological testing program covers a wide range of tests. Subprograms include, but are not limited to:

Microbiological
Biochemical
Cannabis
AOAC – Food/Dietary/Pharmaceutical analytes
Veterinary
Threat Agent Testing
FDA ASCA

Program Requirements

This program follows the ISO/IEC 17025 General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories.

ISO/IEC 17025:2017 contains requirements for testing and calibration laboratories that range from the organization, personnel and training, method validations/verification, internal audits, management review, and more.
R101 – General Requirements for Accreditation of ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratories
R102 – Conditions for Accreditation
R103 – General Requirements- Proficiency Testing for ISO-IEC 17025 Laboratories
R105 – Requirements When Making Reference to A2LA Accredited Status
P102 – Policy on Metrological Traceability
P103b – P103b – Annex – Policy on Estimating Measurement Uncertainty for Life Sciences Testing Labs
See our ISO/IEC 17025 FAQ for more information.

Organizations seeking ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation in the biological field are also subject to the requirements and policies set forth by A2LA. The policies and details can be found in the A2LA R101 – General Requirements for Accreditation of ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratories which includes:

Proficiency testing requirements
Requirements for using the accredited symbol once accreditation is granted
Requirements for equipment metrological traceability

Optional Biological Subprograms

Along with the general biological field, subprograms are designed to be more tailored toward a specific industry or need, which includes specified knowledge and additional requirements. These subprograms can be applied to different fields of testing, such as Biological and Chemical. The following subprograms are part of the Biological testing field: