Overview Of Iso/iec 17043 Proficiency Testing Schemes

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According to ISO/IEC 17043:2010, proficiency testing is the assessment of participant performance against pre-established criteria by means of interlaboratory comparisons. A proficiency test is a technique used to demonstrate competency and validate a laboratory’s measurement procedure by comparing organization results to the results of a reference laboratory and other participant laboratories. An organizing body sends a test item or object to a reference laboratory for testing. Then, the organizing body sends the item to each participating laboratory for subsequent testing. Each participant laboratory will autonomously test the item, submit their results to the organizing body, and forward the item to the next participating laboratory. After each participating laboratory has finished testing, the artifact is returned to the coordinating body. The coordinating body will estimate the all the test results and problem a performance report to each participating laboratory. This is typically referred to as ring test, and is one of the most mutual proficiency testing schemes used by ISO 17043 Proficiency Testing providers.
Proficiency ...
... Testing Schemes:
When it comes to proficiency testing, there are different scheme used to conduct interlaboratory comparisons. Separately scheme is unique to maintain homogeneity and stability of the artifact throughout the testing process. Then, the test results could contain errors and become invalid for use. There are two most mutual proficiency testing schemes recommended by the ISO 17043 standard:
• Sequential Participation Schemes.
• Simultaneous Participation Schemes.
If organization conducts Interlaboratory comparisons without the use of an ISO 17043 proficiency testing provider, these test schemes may be of value to organization.
Sequential Participation Schemes:
In a sequential participation scheme, artifacts are consecutively circulated from one participant to the next, or occasionally returned to the ISO/IEC 17043 proficiency testing provider or reference laboratory for retesting. Sequential participation schemes are very mutual in proficiency testing. There are two of the most common sequential designs are:
• Ring Test
• Petal Test
The ring test: It is a proficiency testing scheme where a reference laboratory originally measures an artifact and then consecutively submits the artifact to each participant laboratory.
The petal test: It is a proficiency testing scheme where a pivot laboratory is used to measure an artifact more than once during testing. In several cases, artifacts are returned to the pivot laboratory before and after each shipment to a participant laboratory.
Simultaneous Participation Schemes:
In a simultaneous participation scheme, sub-samples are casually selected from a material source and simultaneously distributed to participant laboratories for concurrent testing. Simultaneous participation schemes are common in proficiency testing and typically used for reference materials or single use samples that are destroyed after testing. There are three common simultaneous testing designs are:
Split-Level Test: In a split-level proficiency testing scheme, similar levels of a measured are combined into two separate proficiency test items.
Split-Sample Test: In a split-sample testing scheme, material is split into two or more parts, where each participant only tests one part of the sample.
Partial-Process Test: In a partial-process scheme, participants only perform specific parts of the overall testing or measurement process.
ISO/IEC 17043 Auditor should get high-level training and certification to become a certified ISO/IEC 17043 auditor and lead a team of ISO/IEC 17043 assessors. In the ISO 17043 auditor training, participants must learn about the requirements to be fulfilled by proficiency testing providers for accreditation as well as ISO/IEC 17043 accreditation process for proficiency testing providers, and also get the knowledge of homogeneity and stability as well as data analysis and evaluation of proficiency testing scheme results, which is crucial for a certified ISO/IEC 17043 Auditor.