ISO/IEC 17025:2017 requiers in section 6.1 “The laboratory shall have available the personnel, facilities, equipment, systems and support services necessary to manage and perform its laboratory activities.”
Furthermore ISO/IEC 17025:2017 requires in section 6.2.1 « All personnel of the laboratory, either
internal or external, that could influence the laboratory activities shall act impartially, be competent and work in accordance with the laboratory’s management system. »
For confirming fulfillment of this requirement evidence needs to be provided during an assessment in relation to the active personnel of the laboratory. This relates to ISO/IEC 17011, clauses 7.4.4, 7.4.5, 7.4.7, 7.5.1, 7.6.4.
In our point of view, such necessary evidence includes sampling employment contracts of the personnel.
Does the EA LC agree that, apart from assessing/sampling personnel contracts (exemplary checks on employment contracts and/or freelance contracts and/or additional agreements), there are no suitable ways of verifying fulfillment of this specific requirement. Plus, in particular, that mere self-declarations by the CAB are not sufficient?
In case the EA LC does not agree with the above suggested reply, what is the alternative evidence the CAB has to produce?
The verification and sampling of employment contracts represent necessary and appropriate evidence to demonstrate compliance with the requirement of the availability of personnel.
This applies to all personnel that could influence the laboratory activities, regardless of whether they are directly employed by the laboratory, freelancers, personnel employed by another company but operationally assigned to the laboratory, personnel employed by the same legal identity as the laboratory, but assigned to another department or section and assigned to the laboratory for some activities. In any case, it must be clearly stated the person who has this contractual relationship with the legal entity.
In addition to evaluating contracts to ensure the availability of personnel, this contract, or other laboratory documents known and accepted by these personnel, shall ensure that these personnel are aware of their duties, responsibilities and authority, to ensure that they are working within the laboratory’s management system, as well as acting impartially.
Moreover, in addition to this, the laboratory must implement the necessary control and supervision activities to ensure that all personnel are working in accordance with the laboratory’s management system at all times, considering the risk that may be posed by the type of contractual relationship of the personnel.
In any case, the laboratory must retain full managerial and operational responsibility for all activities carried out, regardless of the type of contract of the personnel involved.