Technical Resources

Review Outside Calibration Certificates

Upon receipt of calibration services, companies should review the equipment to ensure that it was identified properly and matches the information provided on the calibration certificates. The certificates should be reviewed to ensure that the required information has been included on the documents as specified in their Purchasing Agreements.

All too often, companies completely rely on the certificates provided by contracted calibration companies without looking at the certificates with a critical eye. Don’t forget to verify the records that you receive from contracted calibration laboratories - it serves as your receiving inspection for the services rendered!

As you perform this record review, ask yourself some questions:

• Has the company provided a reference that allows you to trace the calibration to a national or international standard?
• Was the equipment received out of calibration?
• Did the calibration company provide you with the data to demonstrate the severity of the nonconformity?
• If not, how will you make valid decisions regarding the use of the equipment prior to submitting it for calibration?
• Does the information provided by the calibration company make sense to you? Compare the certificate to the previous certificate or to other certificates for different equipment for continuity. Do you have enough details to make you feel comfortable that the calibration was indeed performed as contracted? Most reputable calibration companies will welcome your questions and will gladly explain their processes and certificates to you.

Ensure that Calibration Certificates are Available for Review!

Some companies are electing to allow contracted calibration companies to maintain their records of calibration for them. If your company utilizes this service and has minimal records on-site for your calibrated equipment, you should ensure that the calibration company can locate and provide all of the necessary calibration records at your request. Don't forget that some registrars will review calibration in the afternoon on the last day of the assessment. In such cases, your company may need access to their records in minutes. It would be a little more than disappointing to fail an assessment because the calibration records were not made available for review!

To ensure that the calibration company understands your expectations, ensure that your requirements are clearly stated on your purchasing agreements.

Don't forget to verify that the calibration company is able to provide you with the necessary records during internal quality audits by selecting a sample of the calibrated equipment, calling the calibration house, and asking for the corresponding records.