 Under
an agreement reached between the Bureau de normalisation
du Québec (BNQ) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC),
it is now possible for laboratories from Québec to prove their
technical competence to clients. This agreement enables
laboratories to be accredited by
the SCC without having to undergo several assessments or
meet a series of different criteria.
In accordance with this agreement, the BNQ’s qualified personnel
assess the laboratories that wish to be accredited by the
SCC in the framework of the PALCAN program.
The BNQ has put in place a program that makes it
possible to assess laboratories that wish to be recognized
as conforming to ISO 15189, ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC
17043 standards under the PALCAN accreditation program. The
purpose of the program is to verify the technical
competence of laboratories as regards testing.
The SCC’s accreditation programs are based on
international criteria that contribute to the recognition
of laboratories both in Canada and abroad. The national
and international recognition granted by the PALCAN
program means considerable added value since it can foster
the free trade of products and services in a global market
environment.
The laboratory assessed fields of expertise under the PALCAN program are
wide-ranging. They can involve, for instance, construction
materials, mineral analysis, forensics, the agri-food industry,
environment, biomedicine, electrical and
electronic products and calibration. The testing fields
are also numerous and include biology, chemistry, physics,
mechanics, optics and thermodynamics, etc.
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