The product quality inspection report must be covered with CNAS and CMA chapters, which requires many related industry laboratories to pass CNAS (laboratory accreditation) and CMA (qualification certification).

For new laboratories, especially laboratories that are still in the early stages of planning and construction, which one is better to pass CNAS certification or CMA certification? How to achieve the two-in-one system of CNAS and CMA?

I. The difference between CNAS accreditation and CMA accreditation

① Nature and applicable objects: CNAS accreditation is a voluntary act of an organization. Applicable to the first, second and third party laboratories, and laboratories that use testing or calibration as part of inspection and product certification. As long as they have the corresponding testing capabilities, the certification can be issued through the accreditation, which is applicable to enterprises and even individual laboratories, and the scope is very wide. CMA certification is compulsory, and it is necessary to have CMA qualification to issue results that have a certifying effect to the society. Generally only for third-party testing agencies, including a small number of specific second-party laboratories, the scope is small, usually together with the review and accreditation, and only qualified by the government's authorization.

②Scope of application: CNAS accreditation is international mutual recognition. CMA affirms that it is valid within the territory of China and has a fair certification effect for the society.

③Management agency and assessment agency: CNAS accreditation is reviewed and managed by the China Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment. CMA certification is reviewed and managed by the China National Certification and Accreditation Administration Commission and the quality and technical supervision departments of the people's governments of provinces, cities, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government.

④ Assessment procedures and requirements, and assessment basis: The assessment requirements accredited by CNAS are unified nationally and internationally. The assessment is based on CNAS-CL01 "Testing and Calibration Laboratory Competence Accreditation Criteria": 2018 (ISO/IEC17025: 2017) and related application instructions, accreditation rules, and application standards. CMA accredited review requirements vary from region to region, and you need to consult the local quality and technical supervision bureau for specifics. The review is based on the "Qualification Assessment Criteria for Inspection and Testing Institutions", review supplementary requirements, application standards, etc.

II. CNAS & CMA certification assessment content

CNAS accreditation and CMA accreditation have the same purpose, basically the same assessment content, and both belong to the scope of conformity assessment.

CNAS 25 elements

Management elements: organization, management system, document control, requirements, review of bids and contracts, subcontracting of testing and calibration, procurement of services and supplies, customer service, complaints, control and improvement of non-conformance testing and/or calibration , Corrective measures, preventive measures, control of records, internal audits, management reviews.

Technical elements: general rules, personnel, facilities and environmental conditions, testing and calibration methods and confirmation of methods, equipment, measurement traceability, sampling, disposal of testing and calibration items, assurance of the quality of testing and calibration results, and results reporting.

CMA 19 elements

Management requirements: organization, management system, document control, subcontracting of testing and calibration, procurement of services and supplies, contract review, appeals and complaints, corrective measures, preventive measures and improvements, records, internal audits, management reviews.

Technical elements: personnel, facilities and environmental conditions, testing and calibration methods, equipment and reference materials, traceability of measured values, sampling and sample disposal, result quality control, result reporting.

III. CNAS accreditation is easier to pass

As far as technical requirements are concerned, the requirements of CMA and CNAS are similar. CNAS accreditation is not restricted by legal authorization, and CMA recognition must be restricted by legal authorization. Therefore, CNAS accreditation is easier than CMA certification.

However, if the laboratory meets the requirements of the CNAS standard and wants to use its surplus ability to provide calibration and testing services to the society, it will be much easier to perform CMA certification. However, the local government believes that the local statutory metrology technical institutions have sufficient capacity, and it is difficult to accept CMA applications from enterprises and institutions.

Therefore, we suggest that if it is used as the company's internal R&D laboratory, it is necessary to apply for CNAS accreditation based on the company's current calibration and testing requirements to standardize its own laboratory and obtain third-party accreditation. When it is necessary to provide point calibration or testing services for the society in the future, you can apply for CMA to the provincial government metrology department or the CNCA.

IV. How to realize the "two in one" of CNAS and CMA system

The so-called "two-in-one" system means not only to meet the requirements recognized by CNAS, but also the requirements recognized by CMA.

STEP 1: Familiar with the relevant documents of CNAS and CMA (including accreditation criteria, accreditation rules, accreditation guides, accreditation schemes, etc., the most important of which is CNAS-CL01 "Testing and Calibration Laboratory Competence Accreditation Criteria" and "Qualification Accreditation Review of Inspection and Testing Organizations" Guidelines and related application instructions, etc.)

STEP 2: Determine the framework of the laboratory. That is to determine whether the laboratory system is based on CNAS laboratory accreditation or CMA qualification certification.

STEP 3: Compile a comparison table. According to the determined laboratory framework, the CNAS laboratory accreditation criteria and the qualification accreditation CMA evaluation criteria corresponding to each clause are found, and the list corresponds one by one, which is clear at a glance.

STEP 4: Fill in the content. According to the comparison table, fill in the content of each chapter one by one. The principle is to cover the corresponding requirements of both. For example, in the personnel chapter, CNAS may have special requirements for each application field, and we should fill it in Go in.

STEP 5: Check for deficiencies. When all the capital system documents have been written, we might as well use the clauses corresponding to the manual, and do the opposite to check the deficiencies, so as to be foolproof.

V. Special requirements for simultaneous CNAS & CMA applications

The country implements compulsory management of measurement certification. If you apply for laboratory accreditation at the same time, it will review the "two in one" of CMA and CNAS. In addition to the requirements of laboratory accreditation criteria, according to the "Qualification Accreditation Evaluation Criteria for Inspection and Testing Organizations", Must meet 17 requirements: special requirements for simultaneous application for laboratory accreditation and metrology certification.

1. The laboratory applying for measurement certification should generally be an independent legal person; the needs of a non-independent legal person are authorized by the legal person to independently undertake third-party impartial inspections, independent external behaviors and business activities, and have independent accounts and independent accounting.

2. When the technical or quality supervisor is away, the agent shall be appointed and stipulated in the quality manual.

3. The top laboratory managers, technical supervisors, quality supervisors and department heads should have appointment documents.

4. The change of the top management and technical director shall be reported to the issuing authority or authorized department for confirmation.

5. The top management of a non-independent legal person laboratory shall be the administrative leadership member of its legal person unit.

6. The technical supervisor of the laboratory should have the technical title of engineer or above and be familiar with the business.

7. Safety facilities such as power cut, water cut, and fire prevention should be equipped.

8. Appropriate measures should be in place to ensure that the laboratory has good housekeeping and meets the health and environmental protection requirements of relevant personnel.

9. If you want to use equipment outside the permanent control range of the laboratory (limited use frequency is low and expensive), you should ensure that it meets the corresponding requirements. The purchase, acceptance and circulation of equipment should be controlled.

10. The file of the instrument and equipment should have the status and acceptance record at the time of acceptance.

11. The self-calibration/calibration instruments and equipment shall comply with the requirements of the national metrological verification system. Draw a block diagram (where applicable) for the value transfer traceable to the national measurement base (standard) to ensure that the value of the measuring instrument in use meets the requirements of the measurement regulations.

12. The highest measurement standard used for metrological verification must pass the assessment in accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Metrics Law of the People's Republic of China".

13. The certified reference materials within the validity period should be used.

14. When there is no national standard, national, industry, or local inspection method, the laboratory should choose as far as possible the method published in the international standard or national standard or published by a well-known technical organization or relevant scientific literature or magazine, but it should be approved by the laboratory. The technical supervisor confirms.

15. Record changes should be made in accordance with appropriate procedures.

16. Legal measurement units should be used.

17. The proportion of subcontracting must be controlled (only instruments and equipment are used in low frequency, expensive and special projects).