News — Impartiality
What is meant by impartiality in a laboratory?
Posted by Cathy Wylie on
There are new requirements in ISO/IEC 17025:2017 related to impartiality. Section 4.1 covers impartiality, including the requirements for laboratory activities to be undertaken impartially; structured and managed to safeguard impartiality, as well as the requirement to identify risks to impartiality. But what does being impartial mean? The definition in ISO/IEC 17025:2017 is "presence of objectivity" and is further clarified in a note saying, "Objectivity means that conflicts of interest do not exist, or are resolved so as not to adversely influence subsequent activities of the laboratory." In the context of laboratory testing, being impartial includes conducting laboratory activities without bias. Lab...