Since 2001, April has been the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The main goals of Sexual Assault Awareness Month are to raise awareness about sexual assaults and share information about how to help prevent it through education. It is also a time for
Laboratories & Calibration Providers: Let’s Talk
To read this article in Spanish, click here. A2LA accredits various laboratories and other organizations such as reference material producers, proficiency testing providers, inspection bodies, biobanks, and product certification bodies. A2LA is the largest accreditor of calibration
Root Cause Analysis Methods
Determining the root cause of a nonconformity is commonly referred to as root cause analysis (RCA). A root cause analysis is an important tool for continuous improvement and can be both the most challenging and the most essential part of the corrective action process. The purpose of a root
The Path to Accreditation in A2LA’s Forensic Examination Accreditation Program Made Easier with the Coverdell Grant
The Paul Coverdell National Forensic Science Improvement Act of 2000, which became public law (106-561), was established to improve the quality, efficiency, and integrity of forensic science services within the criminal justice system. To achieve this objective, the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science
World Accreditation Day 2025: Empowering SMEs
Accreditation is a formal recognition earned by a testing, calibration, or inspection organization that has proven to comply with globally accepted, international standards of quality and competence. Accreditation can sometimes be required by government or industry regulators for certain kinds of
Common NGS Pitfalls of CLIA Certification and ISO Accreditation
A new DNA sequencing technology is transforming the world of genetic testing. This advanced technology is called Next-Generation Sequencing or NGS, and allows scientists, analysts, and geneticists to process millions of fragments of DNA simultaneously, as opposed to one sequence at a time. NGS
10 Steps Toward Achieving ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation
Achieving ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is one of the best ways an organization can stand out among their competition. If you’re not already familiar, ISO/IEC 17025 is an internationally-recognized published standard that details the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration
Standards within Standards: Meeting Relevant Requirements
When a standard refers to the requirements in another standard, how far should organizations and assessors go to meet the “relevant requirements”? The new ISO/IEC 17043 standard for proficiency testing (PT) providers was published May 2023; and while these updates mainly aligned the standard with