Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ACLASS
Document Number 10
REVISION HISTORY
Date
November 24, 2000
November 27, 2000
November 27, 2000
July 23, 2001
August 1, 2002
Description/Author
Draft. R. Nappier
Review/input/corrections. C. Shillito
Initial Release. R. Nappier
Review/update in response to NACLA Pre-Eval Report
findings/recommendations.
Re-Formatted Document; changed spacing, font, alignment, margins, and
added registered trademark to ACLASS throughout document. Changed
Distribution and Approval page. J. Warren
Re-formatted document K. Greenaway
Updated document in response to NACLA input from NACLA
Accreditation Body Recognition Procedure Requirements K.
Greenaway
Updated document in responds to NACLA guidelines K. Greenaway
.
.
.
.
.
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ACLASS
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Document Number 10
PURPOSE
DEFINITIONS
Traceability: Property of the result of a measurement or the value of a standard whereby it can
be related to stated references, usually national or international standards, through an unbroken
chain of comparisons all having stated uncertainties. (VIM 6.10 1993)
Measurand: Particular quantity subject to measurement. (VIM 2.6)
Uncertainty of Measurement: Parameter, associated with the result of a measurement that
characterizes the dispersion of the values that could reasonably be attributed to the measured.
(VIM 3.9) (Also referred to as measurement uncertainty).
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TRACEABILITY
The term traceability means a process whereby the indication of a measuring instrument (or a
material measure) can be compared with a national standard for the measured in question in one
or more stages.
2.1 Traceability is characterized by a number of essential elements (ILAC-G2:1994):
2.1.1 An unbroken chain of comparisons going back to a standard acceptable to the parties,
usually a national or international standard and ending with laboratory working reference
standards used in a metrology laboratory;
2.1.2 Measurement uncertainty; the measurement uncertainty for each step in the traceability
chain must be calculated according to defined methods and must be stated so that an overall
uncertainty for the whole chain may be calculated;
2.1.3 Documentation; each step in the chain must be performed according to documented and
generally acknowledged procedures; the results must be equally documented (calibration
certificate or test report);
2.1.4 Competence; the laboratories performing one or more steps in the chain must supply
evidence for their technical competence (demonstrating they are accredited);
2.1.5 Reference to SI units; the appropriate standards must be primary standards (national,
international or intrinsic) for the realization of the SI units
2.1.6 Recalibrations; calibrations must be repeated at appropriate intervals; the length of these
intervals depends on a number of variables (uncertainty required, frequency of use, type of use,
stability of equipment); it is imperative the traceability of the standard is preserved.
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ACLASS
2.2
Document Number 10
MEASUREMENT UNCERTAINTY
3.1 Measurement uncertainty, and the calculation thereof, is one of a number of essential
elements contributing to the concept of traceability.
3.2 The measurement uncertainty for each step in the traceability chain must be calculated
according to defined methods and must be stated so that an overall uncertainty for the whole
chain may be calculated.
3.3 Defined methods for calculation of measurement uncertainties may be found in the following
publications:
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ACLASS
Document Number 10
statement of the measurement result and the associated uncertainty, then the uncertainty
statement must be accompanied by an explanation of the meaning of the uncertainty statement.
A typical statement might be: Reported uncertainties represent expanded uncertainties
expressed at approximately the 95% confidence level using a coverage factor of k=2.
Uncertainty statements not specifying (as a minimum) the coverage factor/confidence level will
be considered incomplete and inadequate for purposes of demonstrating measurement
traceability.
3.5 In some instances, a calibration certificate will contain the statement in tolerance, along
with a statement that the measurement uncertainty does not exceed a certain fraction of the
tolerance. These fractions are often called test accuracy ratios (TARs) or uncertainty ratios
(TURs). Uncertainty statements phrased in terms of TURs can be adequate for demonstrating
measurement traceability since they are implicit statements of the uncertainty-knowing the
tolerance and accuracy ratio allows determination of the largest possible value of the
measurement uncertainty. If uncertainty statements are phrased as TURs, the TURs must be
calculated using the expanded uncertainty of the measurement, instead of the collective
uncertainty of the measurement standards. In addition, the coverage factor and confidence level
shall be stated.
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SCOPES OF ACCREDITATION
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ACLASS
Document Number 10
Distribute to:
Main File
CEO/President
Executive Vice President/COO
Accreditation Manager
Board of Governors
Assessors
Approvals:
\s\
Skip Greenaway
CEO/President
\s\
Keith Greenaway
Executive Vice President/COO
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