ISO and GRC standards for laboratories and testing: where to start: video

Accreditation that makes results count

Most laboratory standards are met through accreditation, not certification, and customers, regulators and clinicians check the scope of accreditation behind every result. The right standard depends on what the organisation does: ISO/IEC 17025 for testing and calibration, ISO 15189 for medical laboratories, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection bodies, ISO/IEC 17043 for proficiency testing providers, ISO 17034 for reference material producers and ISO/IEC 17065 for bodies certifying products. ISO 10012 covers measurement management, and OECD GLP applies to non-clinical safety studies.

The film helps a laboratory or inspection body pick its standard, and the answer almost always begins with the activity customers rely on most.

Why accreditation is being asked for, and the first step

Buyers of test and calibration work read the scope, not the logo: a method outside your scope is not accredited, even in an accredited laboratory. Regulatory authorities rely on demonstrated competence, and for non-clinical safety studies they review a study's GLP status. International recognition now runs through the Global ACI arrangement, which since 1 January 2026 has replaced the ILAC and IAF arrangements as the route to international acceptance of accredited results. And editions have moved, with new versions of several laboratory and inspection standards published or transitioned recently.

The first step is choosing the standard by activity and defining the scope: the tests, calibrations, examinations or inspections customers and regulators rely on, not everything the laboratory can do. From there, method verification and validation files, uncertainty budgets, traceability and proficiency testing build the technical evidence an accreditation body examines on site. If you are unsure which standard fits your activity, the free Select the Standard™ tool is a good first check.

With your staff, Sterling's consultants build the management system and the technical evidence, in one proposal that includes Effivity, Sterling Academy access and internal auditor training as applicable. The accreditation body assesses, decides and publishes the scope on its public register.