Ensuring your product meets a proven standard of quality requires a testing laboratory with an involved quality department, ensuring trained employees follow an established quality management system (QMS) to meet your needs.
At CTLA, we operate with ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation, which requires yearly audits.
As part of our ISO/IEC accreditation, we annually submit our QMS for third-party evaluation. Our quality manager maintains and updates our QMS for repeatable, measurable laboratory results to constantly improve our services.
The QMS documents our policies, range of laboratory activities, procedures, record-keeping practices and traceability, communication methods, and review processes. Our QMS details a process approach for quality project execution for accurate testing results based on accepted, proven scientific methods with technical validity.
QMS Processes
To meet client needs, CTLA initiates the following QMS processes to service client needs.
- Review requests: Once testing requirements are defined, CTLA personnel determine CTLA’s capability and resources to meet the request. If CTLA cannot complete a test, the client is notified in a timely manner.
- Select, verify, and validate testing method: CTLA stays abreast of appropriate and standard testing methods. We verify or validate all used testing methods and record the procedures, specifications, performance characteristics, and results with an evaluation of the testing method.
- Sampling: CTLA maintains a sampling plan with associated documentation to validate statistical methods, transparency, and handling.
- Handling: CTLA uses a laboratory information management system (LIMS) with full traceability to identify testing and calibration samples. Our established handling instructions avoid loss, damage, contamination, or deterioration of samples.
- Technical records: Using LIMS, CTLA tracks all activities associated with a test or calibration sample, noting results, identification of issues, and measurement uncertainty to enable reproducible results.
- Measurement uncertainty: Detailed notes during sampling, handling, and testing (including equipment calibration) help CTLA determine contributions to measurement uncertainty for reporting.
- Ensuring validity of results: For preventative measures, procedures in our QMS help identify trends using statistical techniques to monitor the validity of results. As part of that, we maintain a recorded schedule for equipment calibration.
- Results: All testing results are reviewed and authorized prior to release by our quality department with consideration to specific requirements, calibration, conformity, and interpretation.
- Complaints: If a client has a complaint about CTLA’s testing process or results, we maintain a documented process to receive, evaluate, and make decisions. Please contact CS@ctlatesting.com to file a complaint.
- Nonconformance: In the case of sampling, handling, or testing nonconformance to CTLA’s QMS, CTLA maintains records and a documented procedure plan, including identifying responsible personnel, the risk level of test validity, decisions, and customer notification.
Employee Qualifications
Part of our QMS includes appropriate, regular employee training. Each employee receives comprehensive standard operating procedures (SOPs) training for each task in the scope of responsibilities. Training happens on a regular and routine basis.
When the lab adopts new equipment, policies, or procedures, CTLA disseminates updated information via announcements and training.
QMS Changes
The quality department regularly conducts risk analysis exercises to determine issues and applicability of current practices, making adjustments and improvements as needed.
An annual internal audit identifies nonconformance problems, new technology, processes, and opportunities to improve CTLA performance. The quality team meets with CTLA management and makes adjustments and improvements to its QMS at least annually as a minimum but more frequently as needed.
Contact CTLA Today
At CTLA, we are committed to meeting our clients’ laboratory requirements, including product testing for safety, identification, nutrient quantity, and stability. We constantly seek to improve our services to streamline processes and enhance customer satisfaction.
Our Quality department monitors each sample from start to finish to ensure the highest quality testing. Contact CTLA today to put our services to work for you.
