A2LA is now recognized by the City of Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections to provide ISO/IEC 17020:2012 Requirements for the Operation of Various Types of Bodies Performing Inspection accreditation for Special Inspection Agencies conducting work for the City of Philadelphia. Beginning in October 2017, all agencies performing special inspections must be formally registered with the Department of Licenses and Inspections. Per the City of Philadelphia Licenses + Inspections Special Inspections Agencies and Inspectors Requirements Document, an agency may use accreditation from an established accreditation entity to ISO/IEC 17020 as an alternative to the Agency Experience Requirements.

June 9, 2017 marks World Accreditation Day as a global initiative, jointly established by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation.

ISO 17034:2016 General Requirements for the Competence of Reference Material Producers became publicly available on November 1, 2016, superseding ISO Guide 34:2009. The Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) has implemented a three-year transition period from the date of publication. As such, all APLAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) signatories, such as A2LA, must have all of their currently-accredited Reference Material Producers (RMPs) transitioned to accreditation to ISO 17034:2016 no later than November 1, 2019.

A2LA Today l December 2016 l Number 133 ~ Peter Unger, A2LA President Emeritus, has served on the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Executive Committee since 2001. His most recent position as ILAC Chair has spanned from 2011 until the close of 2016.

~ A2LA President Emeritus, Peter Unger, has been granted an Award of Merit and the honorary title of Fellow by ASTM International

A2LA Calibration Accreditation Manager, Pam Wright, was honored by NCSL International at their 2016 Workshop and Symposium. Ms. Wright was presented with the following awards by NCSLI President, Roger Burton:

Since the previous issue of A2LA Today, the following individuals have achieved the status of “Staff Approved Lead Assessor” and have begun performing assessments for A2LA:

*reprinted from the May/June 2016 issue of AOAC Inside Laboratory Management AOAC and industry are partnering to develop Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRs®) in an effort to find the best testing method(s) for cannabis. Analytical testing in the cannabis sector is greatly suffering from a lack of standardization and appropriately vetted methods that have been rigorously evaluated. The result is diminished consumer safety and insufficient knowledge about a legally acquired and purchased commodity.

Since the previous issue of A2LA Today, the following individuals have achieved the status of “Staff Approved Lead Assessor” and have begun performing assessments for A2LA:

Since the previous issue of A2LA Today, the following individuals have achieved the status of “Staff Approved Lead Assessor” and have begun performing assessments for A2LA: