Redesign of the Quality Management System at CENLAC Laboratory based on NC ISO/IEC 17025: 2017 standard

Abstract

Food analysis laboratories are responsible for verifying the conformity involved in Food Quality and Safety and reporting reliable and safe data at a chemical, physical, organoleptic or microbiological level. The Quality Management System (QMS) adapted to the testing laboratories, allows demonstrating the technical competence to carry out tests with the ability to generate valid results. The current edition of NC ISO/IEC 17025 standard, which is used as a reference to implement the QMS, presents a new design with requirements to induce accredited laboratories or those in the process of accreditation to redesign the Management System. The Food Quality Control Testing Laboratory (CENLAC) ensures a level of excellence in the services it offers to its clients by guaranteeing the validity of the results. The objective of this research was to redesign the QMS with the incorporation of new activities such as risk-based thinking, staff training and the process approach in the daily work. Different methods and techniques were applied, such as: interview, observation, survey, checklist, Delphi method, SWOT matrix, brainstorming, and Gantt chart. As a result, the implementation of an action plan that contributed to the redesign the OMS of CENLAC was obtained. Risks and opportunities (including those of impartiality) were identified, the scope of the system was defined, the quality objectives and policies were developed, and the commitment to impartiality and the procedure for dealing with nonconforming work were defined.