Accreditation and Competence

Accreditation

Accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) means that evaluating organisations including testing laboratories and inspection bodies have been assessed against internationally recognised standards to demonstrate their competence, impartiality and performance capability.

Testing in compliance with ISO 17025, Health and Safety Executive guidance Asbestos: The analysts’ guide for sampling, analysis and clearance procedures (HSG 248), and documented in-house technical procedures:

•  Sampling of bulk materials for asbestos

•  The identification of asbestos in bulk materials

•  Fibre counting

•  Air sampling for fibre counting

•  4 stage clearance testing

Inspection in compliance with ISO 17020, Health and Safety Executive guidance Asbestos: The survey guide (HSG264, 2010) and documented in-house technical procedures:

•  Management surveying for asbestos in domestic, commercial and industrial premises

•  Refurbishment and demolition surveying for asbestos in domestic, commercial and industrial premises.

Competence

Technical staff should be competent to conduct the work they are undertaking and UKAS accredited organisations should have a robust quality system based upon the requirements of the international standards ISO 17025 and ISO 17020.

Technical staff are required to follow training and experience gaining programmes before being allowed to conduct accredited work. This includes in-house and external sourced training where appropriate, and the requirement for technical staff to attain the following British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) qualifications as appropriate to their role:

– Proficiency module qualifications,
– The occupational hygiene module S301 asbestos and other fibres
– The Certificate of Competence in asbestos and other fibres

Before being allowed to conduct accredited work technical staff are rigorously checked that they can demonstrate competence through auditing.

Technical staff are required to continue demonstrating their competence by being subject to internal auditing, participation with internal quality assurance schemes and participation in the external proficiency schemes of RICE and AIMS, as appropriate to their work.

Please note that as of the 31st May 2023 NAS Laboratories Ltd voluntarily resigned their UKAS accreditations and all/any UKAS accredited work is currently being passed on to other UKAS accredited organisations.