Re: Short vs. Long form Calibration Certificate
CalRich said:
Need some quick help here.. customer is in an audit.
The question is, what is the difference between a long form and short form calibration certificate? I "know" that the short form simply states conformance to a standard (e.g. H28) and a long form contains actual data, along with procedure, etc.
But... where is this stated by any official source? Seems like one of those things that people just "know" but don't know how.
THanks
This question is not uncommon, and reveals some practices that many (myself included) may be frustrated with.
Wesley Richardson provides a good recommendation - use only accredited calibration providers when possible. Under the scope of accreditation, the certificate MUST meet specific criteria, listed in ANS/ISO/IEC 17025 Clauses 5.10.2 and 5.10.4, and remaining 5.10 sub-clauses as applicable.
Non-accredited providers do not have this requirement and are open to simply state the item is calibrated, traceable to NIST (every cal provider in the U.S. makes that claim BTW) and that is all that is required. Adherence to ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994 is self-declared.
Even with accredited labs, you may find two levels of certificates for identical calibrations that are obviously under the scope of accreditation. One will have the logo and uncertainties, one will not. The one with is a higher price. I personally consider the practice unethical, but recognize marketplace realities.....just giving you fair warning.
Just a side note, there are currently three accrediting bodies (ABs) that are internationally recognized, that are native to the U.S. They are: IAS, A2LA, and NVLAP. Two other ABs have National recognition through NACLA, they are L-A-B and ACLASS.
Hope this helps.
Hershal