Sheffield Assay Office Celebrates an Incredible 40 Years of UKAS Accreditation
Published: 20th September 2022
Sheffield Assay Office and its Analytical Services division are delighted to be celebrating an outstanding 40 years of continuous UKAS accreditation.
It has been an incredible 40 years since the Sheffield Assay Office laboratory first gained it's ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation and the team celebrated this momentous achievement with 40 beautifully decorated cupcakes baked specially for the occasion.
ISO/IEC 17025 is an internationally accepted standard, and accreditation is the most important benchmark for testing laboratories. This confirms that a laboratory is able to provide accurate, verifiable and reproducible test results, giving the customer complete confidence in their test results and preventing the need for any expensive retesting.
The process of accreditation by the experts at the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) acts as a third-party review process to provide assurance that a laboratory's quality management system is up to date and demonstrates comprehensive technical competence. This process involves rigorous on-site-assessments and participation in applicable proficiency testing schemes.
It also involves the examination of the technical facilities required to produce quality data such as:
- Appropriate handling and transportation of test items
- Suitability of test equipment
- Calibration and maintenance of equipment
- The technical ability of analysts
- The validity of testing methods
- Examination of documents and records
Sheffield Assay Office gained accreditation from UKAS (formerly NATLAS and NAMAS) on 10th September 1982 and were the only 12th laboratory in the country to do so. This gives us the number 0012 below our UKAS logo. We are delighted to have maintained our accreditation for such a long period of time, over which the requirements demanded by the standard have increased vastly. This is a testament to the hard work and diligence of the analysts whose knowledge, experience and attention to detail are demonstrated on a daily basis.
Our Analytical Services department has stood the test of time by maintaining excellent customer service and reliability for over 40 years, whilst constantly developing new methods and incorporating new technology. Accreditation to this standard is also a requirement for the XRF testing facilities which underpin the Hallmarking activities of the Sheffield Assay Office.
Juliette Love is the Section Head at UKAS and was happy to celebrate with us, saying; "Sheffield Assay Office is to be congratulated, having achieved 40 years of continual accreditation, demonstrating ongoing adherence to the strict requirements of the ISO/IEC 17025 testing standard, and giving people greater confidence in the integrity of precious metals when they see the Sheffield 'Town' mark."
Find out more about UKAS Accreditation here
The Sheffield Assay Office was established in 1773, under an Act of Parliament and today the company assays and hallmarks the precious metals - silver, gold, platinum and palladium. Sheffield Assay Office is one of only four UK assay offices who all work to uphold the Hallmarking Act of 1973 and continue to ensure consumer protection for customers purchasing precious metals.
To find out more about the whole range of services offered by Sheffield Assay Office, such as our hallmarking and analytical services, please email us at info@assayoffice.co.uk or complete the contact form on our website at http://www.assayoffice.co.uk/contact-us,
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