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National Association of Testing Authorities

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The National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA) was established in 1947 in response to a call for the formation of a national testing services body to ensure the munitions which the government was manufacturing during the Second World War met a sufficiently high standard.

NATA is a private not-for-profit company, governed by a Board that has representation from its members, and from industry, government and professional bodies.

In 1988, NATA's role as an accreditation body was recognised by the Australian Government in a Memorandum of Understanding[1] which was renewed in 2014.

Its head office is situated in Rhodes, New South Wales and it has offices in four other capital cities of Australia. It employs 180 staff and over three thousand volunteer technical experts who assist NATA in the assessment of facilities and on its various technical committees.[2]

Scope

NATA provides accreditation services to inspection bodies and producers of certified reference materials. It offers both "traditional" testing programs and "specialised" programs in areas such as medical[3] and veterinary testing, forensic science, medical imaging, reference material production and proficiency testing.[4]

NATA monitors members' compliance with the OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP).[5]

NATA formally recognises whether facilities produce reliable technical results.[6]

International activities

NATA represents Australia in a number of high level International fora related to laboratory, inspection body, reference material producer and proficiency testing service provider accreditation practices and policies.

NATA represents Australia through:

  • the establishment of mutual recognition arrangements[7] with other accreditation bodies[8]
  • holding Designating Authority status for laboratory and inspection body recognition from the Commonwealth Government
  • the provision of input to a number of international committees, and to the development of the standards ISO/IEC 17025 (for testing and calibration laboratories), ISO 15189 (for medical laboratories) and ISO 17011 (for accreditation bodies)[9]

References

  1. ^ "Regulating Access to Genetic Testing-Laboratory accreditation". Australian Law Reform Commission. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  2. ^ "About NATA". National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  3. ^ "Quality and Safety in Genetic Testing: An Emerging Concern". World Health Organization. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Types of Accreditation". National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  5. ^ "NATA Accreditation". Trilab Laboratory. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  6. ^ "What is NATA Accreditation to ISO 17025 and What Does It Mean?" (PDF). Advanced Technology Testing and Research. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  7. ^ "APLAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement". Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  8. ^ "ILAC MRA Signatory contact details: National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia". International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  9. ^ "NATA's International Activities and Role". National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
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