East China Lubricant Plant Laboratory Passes National Laboratory Accreditation On-Site Assessment

On August 8, 2010, the laboratory of the East China Lubricant Plant successfully passed the on-site national laboratory accreditation assessment conducted by an expert panel from the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment.
In accordance with CNAS-CL01:2006 "Accreditation Criteria for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories" and the "Application Notes on the Laboratory Accreditation Criteria in the Field of Chemical Testing," the expert panel audited all personnel and all elements of the East China Lubricant Plant laboratory - its management system documents, on-site environmental control, equipment and instrument conditions, supply of reagents and materials, 61 quality records, nearly 80 technical records and 25 personnel - by listening, observing, checking, questioning and holding discussions, following the 25 elements of the accreditation criteria. The panel also applied four approaches - personnel comparison, instrument comparison, retained sample re-testing and routine analysis - to the 40 test methods applied for this time, conducting an on-site review of the validity of the test methods and the standardization of personnel technical operations.
Following the on-site assessment, the experts gave full recognition and praise to the standardized management and technical capability of the East China Lubricant Plant laboratory. They considered the laboratory's organizational structure sound, its technical testing capability compliant with national laboratory accreditation requirements, its internal management standardized, its technical operations and laboratory environment compliant, and its testing capabilities effectively maintained, with all 40 test methods applied for passing the on-site assessment. The panel also put forward rectification suggestions for problems identified during the on-site audit; upon completion of rectification, accreditation will be recommended to the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS).
Passing national laboratory accreditation marks the entry of the East China Lubricant Plant laboratory's management and analytical testing capabilities into the ranks of standardization, scientific rigor and regulation. The analytical test reports it issues will carry greater authority and will provide strong technical support for the healthy development of PetroChina's lubricant business.