GLOBAL HEALTH
Kenya’s Centre of Excellence for Equipment
Calibration, Certification and Training Receives
ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation
By Edwin Ochieng, MBA, senior laboratory technical manager, Global Health; Rufus Nyaga, informatics technical manager, Global Health; Reshma
Kakkar, MA, manager, Global Health; Samantha Musumeci, MPH, specialist, Global Health; and Maria Landron, DrPH, senior specialist, Global Health
In 2017, Kenya’s National Public Health
Laboratory (NPHL) opened the Centre of
Excellence for Equipment Calibration,
Certification and Training (COE). The
last two years have been dedicated to
acquiring accreditation—no small feat
for any laboratory. APHL worked closely
with NPHL to undertake critical steps for
overall facility improvement, metrology
training and capacity development
to ensure a successful accreditation
application.
Facility Improvement
• Established calibration space for
thermometers, timers and pipettes and
an environmental condition monitoring
system for the entire Centre.
• Identified and procured required
equipment and accessories to meet
ISO/IEC 17025 requirements.
Metrology Training
• Designated the Kenya Bureau of
Standards (KEBS) to train NPHL staff on
calibration techniques using a threestep
approach: foundation training
on calibration; customized training
on calculation and measurement of
uncertainties; and practical training
and inter-comparison protocol
development.
• Ensured training curriculum included
metrological work practices to offer
valid and quality calibration results.
Capacity Development
After the COE’s opening, APHL
collaborated with other stakeholders
to conduct a baseline assessment to
determine areas needing attention prior
to applying for accreditation. This led to:
• Trainings on ISO/IEC 17025 internal
audit and risk management for all COE
personnel
• Development of quality management
policies and standard operating
procedures
• Extensive review of technical and
managerial documentation
• Establishment of job descriptions
for key positions and identifying
appropriate staff
• Conducting inter-laboratory
comparison with KEBS on five
parameters: mass, volume, time,
temperature and rotation speed.
Achieving Accreditation
APHL facilitated COE enrollment with
the Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS)
for accreditation on all five parameters.
KENAS conducted an accreditation
assessment in October 2019 and
recommended the COE for accreditation.
As a penultimate step, the COE addressed
all non-conformities identified and, in
February 2020, the COE received KENAS
ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation status.
In order to maintain accreditation, the
COE will establish a program of refresher
trainings, conduct periodic management
review meetings, perform internal
audits and participate in inter-laboratory
comparison assessments. APHL looks
forward to working with the COE to
maintain this critical accreditation. n
NPHL Biomedical Engineers Nicholas Muturi and Calvin Simba calibrate pipettes. Photo: NPHL
20 LAB MATTERS Spring 2020
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL APHL.org