Resource person Engr. Aldwin B. Tagapan (center), PAB Dir. Ernani M. Dionisio (3rd from right), NML Chief Aurora V. Kimura (3rd from left) and ITDI personnel posing for a group photo to mark the culmination of the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 seminar.

 The Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) led by National Metrology Laboratory (NML) of the Philippines was updated on the latest version of the ISO/IEC 17025 through a seminar conducted by the Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) on 01 April 2019 held at NML-ITDI, DOST Compound Taguig City. ISO/IEC 17025:2017 specifies the general requirements for the competence, impartiality and consistent operation of testing and calibration laboratories. The training was handled by Engr. Aldwin B. Tagapan.

ITDI provides a variety of technical services and interventions to different stakeholders particularly the industry, to help modernize the production sector, improve its productivity, and become globally competitive. The Institute is also the national agency for tests and analyses, and custodian for weights and measures through its National Metrology Laboratory.  NML is responsible for establishing and maintaining the national measurement standards for physical quantities such as mass, temperature, pressure, voltage, resistance, luminous intensity and time interval and their dissemination to Filipino users. The Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) is one of the agencies of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

To recall, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2017 published a revision to ISO/IEC 17025 (previously published in 2005) to continue to cater for the requirements of the modern market and thus, laboratories through third-party accreditation were required to transition to the new version. On 05 January 2018, International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) posted on its website a joint ISO and ILAC communique, reconfirming the three-year transition period stating that, “While both the 2005 and 2017 versions of ISO/IEC 17025 will remain valid during the three-year transition period, accreditations to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 will be invalid from 30 November 2020, as per the ILAC Resolution GA 20.15 adopted in November 2016.”

PAB, being the national accreditation body of the Philippines accredits inspection, testing and certification bodies and other bodies offering conformity assessment services. It promotes accreditation activities and provides technical assistance through capability building programs. PAB facilitates orientations for updated versions of the accreditation schemes it currently offers. It aims to familiarize the participants on the changes and provide them with ideas on how to efficiently transition from the old to the new versions of the standards.

For more information on accreditation and PAB services, please contact 0917-814-2344 or 0917-802-0047.