DOST testing center passes int'l. standards

The Department of Science and Technology - Regional Standards and Testing Center (DOST7-RSTC) Chemical Laboratory has been issued a certificate of accreditation for conforming to the requirements of the Philippine National Standard International Standardization Organization/International Electrotechnical Commission (PNS ISO/IEC) 17025:2000.

The Bureau of Product Standards and the Department of Trade and Industry issued the certificate to DOST7-RSTC recently.

BPS evaluates a laboratory's capabilities, in both management and technical aspects based on international standards through a rigorous laboratory accreditation scheme.

The DOST7-RSTC Chemical Laboratory has been servicing food and chemical manufacturing companies by providing laboratory analyses on meat, poultry and derived products.

It also provides analyses on fish, crustaceans, mollusks and derived products; fruits, jams and other fruit products; as well as on water for drinking and domestic purposes.

Chemical manufacturing firms, including local government units and non-government organizations, also availed of the DOST7-RSTC's services for chemical testing on wastewater, industrial and fine chemicals, fertilizers, lime, cement and other related products.

There has been global demand from clients for laboratories to comply with internationally accepted standards of quality, performance, technical expertise and competence.

Operating in the past 20 years, the DOST7-RSTC is also internationally accredited for microbiological tests on food and beverage products and raw materials.

It also provides services, like calibration on force, pressure, mass, volume, or temperature of equipment and formula of manufacture for export-import companies and physical analysis for textiles, fabrics and other related products.

With the international accreditation, companies availing themselves of the laboratory's services are reassuring their customers that the products they purchase meet their expectations or conform to specific requirements in the world market. - Jasmin R. Uy