Calibration of point that is out of the range of accreditation

Hi, guys! Need your help on what should I do if the customer is requesting for calibration of points that is out of the scope of accreditation?

This is the situation. We are offering the calibration of heat enclosure from range of -80 deg C to 300 deg C. Now the customer want us to calibrate 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 deg C respectively. What should I do in this situation?

derice said:

Hi, guys! Need your help on what should I do if the customer is requesting for calibration of points that is out of the scope of accreditation?

This is the situation. We are offering the calibration of heat enclosure from range of -80 deg C to 300 deg C. Now the customer want us to calibrate 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 deg C respectively. What should I do in this situation?

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What exactly prohibits you from providing the calibration service. Are you saying that your Accreditation only allows you to go to 300 Degrees C?

Operating outside of your scope is not a huge problem as long as the customer is aware and you have stated the fact on your calibration / test report.

If you issue a calibration certificate for the particular test, you must note which ranges are not covered under your scope of accreditation. Of course, you will want to fully explain this to the customer ahead of time and have documented proof that they agree to the reporting method.

Yes, our Accreditation only allows you to go to 300 Degrees C. What my concern is that whether the cal certificate with the accreditation logo can be issued out? What need to be aware?

It is my understanding that the AB symbol can be on the cert AS LONG AS you have clearly stated in the comments section what ranges are not covered under your scope.

Our certs have a statement that says "the results shown in this calibration report have been determined in accordance with the laboratory's terms of accreditation unless stated otherwise in the report"

You should ulitmately check with your AB and find out their opinion.

derice said:

Yes, our Accreditation only allows you to go to 300 Degrees C. What my concern is that whether the cal certificate with the accreditation logo can be issued out? What need to be aware?

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I had this situation when I ran a cal lab. In our case, as long as some of the calibration points were covered by our scope, we could use the acceditation bureau's (AB) logo. Additionally, a statement must be made which items are NOT covered under the lab's current scope of accreditation. We used a simple blanket statement and an asterisk next to the test points that were not under our scope.

As stated by earlier posters, this needs to be clarified with the customer before even performing the work. Make sure to document the customer's acceptance.