The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has launched this year’s Inter-Laboratory Comparison program, aimed at validating and enhancing laboratory measurement processes.
KAMPALA, UGANDA | NOW THEN DIGITAL — The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has launched this year’s Inter-Laboratory Comparison program.
This program aims to demonstrate competency and validate measurement processes in laboratories for specific disciplines. It aligns with UNBS’s mandate to enhance competitiveness through standardization and conformity assessment, supporting the growing laboratory infrastructure in the country.
Inter-Laboratory Comparison involves evaluating a participant laboratory’s performance against predetermined criteria by comparing their results with those of other participants in the same round of testing. According to ISO/IEC 17043:2010 Conformity assessment — General requirements for proficiency testing, it involves the organization, performance, and evaluation of measurements or tests on the same or similar items by two or more laboratories under predetermined conditions.
In 2023, ten matrices will be tested, including Maize flour, UHT Milk, Potable Water, Non-carbonated soft drinks, Cosmetics, Roasted Coffee, Paint, Animal feeds, Cement, and Steel bars.
Patricia Bageine Ejalu, Deputy Executive at UNBS, emphasizes the importance of this ILC exercise for all public and private commercial testing laboratories, regardless of their size. The ILC program provides a quality assurance tool for comparing performance and facilitating necessary improvements, ensuring accurate and reliable test results.
Interested laboratories or institutions must register by submitting forms available on the UNBS website before September 30, 2023.
Participating in these programs benefits businesses by boosting the competence and confidence of their laboratory analysts, positioning laboratories to acquire and maintain UNBS laboratory recognition. Recognized laboratories’ test results are accepted in product certification decisions as UNBS implements the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (Certification) (Amendment) Regulations, 2022.
