Get CLAS certified - 3. Apply

Application package

CLAS requirements documents

For the assessment, a laboratory must be prepared to provide the following supporting technical information (if applicable):

• calibration procedures
• examples of completed calibration certificates (CLAS Requirements Document 6)
• evidence of traceability (CLAS Requirements Document 9)
• measurement uncertainty budget(s)
• control of measurement standards (CLAS Requirements Document 3); and
• records of proficiency testing (CLAS Requirements Document 7)

Assessment records

All information provided to CLAS and the accreditation body is confidential.

The information provided in this application has several purposes:

• to ensure that an applicant has examined each of the requirements and is reasonably confident of conformance with each one
• to enable CLAS staff to detect and advise the applicant of any potential nonconformities, and thus provide better assurance of a successful on-site assessment
• to provide the on-site assessment team with the information needed to carry out an effective assessment
• to provide the basis for confirming consistency between the documented and assessed capability of a laboratory

Appendix A: Application form – new applicants

Appendix A: Application form – new applicants (PDF, 334 KB)

The following content is not a fillable form. It is copied from the Appendix A PDF form and is included below as reference only.

• Text content of the Appendix A PDF form as reference only

  To obtain accreditation and CLAS certification, organizations have 2 accreditation bodies to choose from. Please make your selection below.

  • Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation (CALA)
  • Standards Council of Canada (SCC)

  Laboratory legal name:
  Legal status:	Corporation / Sole proprietorship / Partnership / Cooperation / Government
  Postal / street address:
  City and province or state:
  Postal / zip code and country:

  Hereby applies for accreditation and CLAS certification as a calibration laboratory for the scope of measurement capabilities outlined in the attached Requested scope of accreditation and CLAS certification.

  With this application, the applicant agrees to the following items by initialing the boxes:

  I agree to the use of fax technology if required for assessment communication

  Client fax number:

  I agree to the use of email if required for assessment communication.

  Client email address:

  This laboratory provides calibration services to all interested parties.

  This laboratory requires traceability of its primary reference standard of mass to reference standard MR‑1 or MR‑2 and/or of temperature to reference standards VS767_203 or VS767_1808, and evaluation against Measurement Canada RC-01- Conditions and administrative requirements for the recognition program of calibration results from CLAS laboratories.

  Note: When this item is selected, a copy of this application must be submitted by the applicant to Measurement Canada, Approval and Calibration Services Laboratory (ACSL).

  Laboratory contact person

  Name:
  Title:
  Email:
  Telephone:

  Once accreditation and CLAS certification is granted, the applicant agrees to the following obligations:

  • To conform with the requirements and conditions contained in the latest edition of ISO/IEC 17025, the CLAS Requirements Documents, and in the latest editions of the accreditation body requirements
  • To comply with, if applied for, the requirements and conditions contained in the latest edition of the Measurement Canada RC-01 – Condition recognition program of calibration results from CLAS laboratories, to certify and designate as a local standard any standard as per the scope of the program, that has been calibrated in relation to a reference standard as accurate within the prescribed tolerances
  • To pay the required fees to CLAS
  • To cooperate with CLAS and the accreditation body in the scheduling of assessment visits (this applies to all premises where calibrations take place)
  • To provide access to information, documents and records as necessary for the assessment and maintenance of the accreditation
  • To cooperate with CLAS and the accreditation body in maintaining the integrity of the accreditation program
  • To claim accreditation only with respect to the scope for which it has been granted
  • To notify CLAS, without delay, of any significant changes relevant to its accreditation, in any aspect of its status or operation relating to:
    1. its legal, commercial, ownership or organizational status
    2. the organization, top management and key personnel
    3. main policies
    4. resources and premises
    5. scope of accreditation
    6. matters that may affect the ability of the laboratory to fulfil requirements for accreditation
  • That accreditation may be withdrawn, on failure of a laboratory to conform with the foregoing, subject only to the rights of appeal set out in the accreditation body requirements

  Authorized representative of applicant laboratory

  Name:
  Title:
  Date:
  Email:
  Telephone:
  Signature:

Appendix B: Application form – scope extensions

Appendix B: Application form - scope extensions (PDF, 177 KB)

The following content is not a fillable form. It is copied from the Appendix B PDF form and is included below as reference only.

• Text content of the Appendix B PDF form as reference only

  Laboratory legal name:
  CLAS file number:
  CLAS certificate number:

  Hereby applies for an extension of the scope of measurement capabilities outlined in the attached Requested scope of accreditation and CLAS certification.

  This laboratory requires traceability of its primary reference standard of mass to reference standard MR‑1 or MR‑2 and/or of temperature to reference standards VS767_203 or VS767_1808, and evaluation against Measurement Canada RC-01- Conditions and administrative requirements for the recognition program of calibration results from CLAS laboratories.

  Note: When this item is selected, a copy of this application must be submitted by the applicant to Measurement Canada, Approval and Calibration Services Laboratory (ACSL).

  Authorized representative of applicant laboratory

  Name:
  Title:
  Date:
  Telephone:
  Email:
  Signature:

  Laboratory contact person (if different than above)

  Name:
  Title:
  Telephone:
  Email:

Appendix C: Application form – group accreditation

Appendix C: Application form - group accreditation (PDF, 403 KB)

The following content is not a fillable form. It is copied from the Appendix C PDF form and is included below as reference only.

• Text content of the Appendix C PDF form as reference only

  To obtain accreditation and CLAS certification, organizations have 2 accreditation bodies to choose from. Please make your selection below.

  • Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation (CALA)
  • Standards Council of Canada (SCC)

  For details, please refer to CLAS Requirements Document 10.

  Laboratory legal name:

  Headquarters

  Postal/street address:
  City and province or state:
  Postal/zip code and country:

  Hereby applies for accreditation and CLAS certification as a calibration laboratory for the scope of measurement capabilities outlined in the attached Requested scope of accreditation and CLAS certification.

  Central contact person - technical operations

  Name:
  Title:
  Telephone:
  Email:

  Central contact person – management system

  Name:
  Title:
  Telephone:
  Email:

  Central contact person - billing

  Name:
  Title:
  Telephone:
  Email:

  Authorized representative of group – top management

  Name:
  Title:
  Telephone:
  Email:
  Signature:

  This document must be accompanied by the completed Requested scope of accreditation and CLAS certification (Appendix D) and the laboratory management system documentation.

  Locations

  Identification	Postal / street address	City and province or state	Postal / zip code and country	Contact / Title	Telephone	Email

Appendix D: Requested scope of accreditation and CLAS certification

Appendix D: Requested scope of accreditation and CLAS certification (PDF, 181 KB)

The following content is not a fillable form. It is copied from the Appendix D PDF form and is included below as reference only.

• Text content of the Appendix D PDF form as reference only

  Laboratory identification:

  Type of standard / equipment calibrated	Quantity Measured / values / range of values	Calibration Measurement Capability Table note 1 expressed as expanded uncertainty	Location of Service (laboratory, customer-site or mobile)	Method and/or Measurement Technique	Standard(s) and/or Equipment Providing Traceability

Appendix E: Sample - Requested scope of accreditation and CLAS certification

Appendix F: Calibration measurement capability

The "calibration measurement capability" is the smallest uncertainty of measurement that a laboratory can achieve within its scope of accreditation, when performing more or less routine calibrations of nearly ideal measurement standards. These ideal measurement standards are intended to define, realize, conserve or reproduce a unit of that quantity, or one or more of its values, or when performing more or less routine calibrations of nearly ideal measuring instruments.

'More or less routine calibrations' means that a laboratory shall be able to achieve the stated capability in the normal work that it performs under its accreditation. There are instances when a laboratory is able to achieve better results through extensive investigations and additional precautions. However, these cases are not covered by the definition of calibration measurement capability, unless it is the stated policy of a laboratory to perform such scientific investigations. If this is the case they become the 'more or less routine' type calibrations of a laboratory. Note: To further clarify the definition of a "nearly ideal" device, CLAS requires that the device is one that a laboratory is equipped to calibrate. In other words, the calibration measurement capability refers to a laboratory's uncertainty in calibrating the best available device that it can measure using the best techniques that it normally uses.

Inclusion of the qualifier 'nearly ideal' in the above definition means that calibration measurement capability should not be dependent on the characteristics of the device to be calibrated. Inherent in the concept of being nearly ideal is that there should be no significant contribution to the uncertainty of measurement attributable to physical effects that can be ascribed to imperfections of the device to be calibrated. However if it is established that even the most 'ideal' available device contributes to the uncertainty of measurement, this contribution shall be included in the determination of the calibration measurement capability and a statement should be made that the calibration measurement capability refers to the calibration of that type of device.

The definition of calibration measurement capability implies that within its accreditation a laboratory is not entitled to claim a smaller uncertainty of measurement than the calibration measurement capability. This means that a laboratory is required to state a larger uncertainty than that corresponding to the calibration measurement capability whenever it is established that the actual calibration process adds significantly to the uncertainty of measurement. Typically the equipment under calibration may give a contribution. The reported uncertainty of measurement can never be smaller than the calibration measurement capability.

All components which contribute significantly to the uncertainty of measurement shall be taken into account when evaluating the calibration measurement capability. The evaluation of the contributions that are known to vary with time or with any other physical quantity can be based on limits of possible variations assumed to occur under normal working conditions. For instance, if the used working standard is known to drift, the contribution caused by the drift between subsequent calibrations of the standard has to be taken into account when estimating the uncertainty contribution of the working standard.

In some fields the uncertainty of measurement may depend on some additional parameter, e.g., frequency of applied voltage when calibrating standard resistors. Such additional parameters shall be stated together with the physical quantity in question and the calibration measurement capability specified for the additional parameters. This can often be done by giving the calibration measurement capability as a function of these parameters.

The CMC when expressed as a single value must be achievable across the entire range indicated.

Appendix G: Measurement capability categories