QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND LABORATORY ACCREDITATION AT A UNIVERSITY - WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM EXPERIENCE

Quality management has been introduced at the Laboratory for Instrumen tal Neutron Activation Analysis of the Interfaculty Reactor Institute at the Delft University of Technology, The laboratory has received acc reditation for its quality system for compliance with the accreditatio n criteria of EN45001 closely following the ISO-25 guide. The laborato ry's motivation for introducing quality management is given with empha sis on the aspects of a university environment. These motives include the need for a system of documentation, prevention of repetition of wo rk, thorough traceability of experimental conditions, increased respec t for and therefore, trustworthiness of the laboratory and improved ch ances for acquiring third party contracts. The route to accreditation is described briefly, The experience with the quality system is illust rated with examples of the consequences for research and routine opera tions, e.g., related to technical competence of personnel, nonconforma nce management, audits and analytical quality. Unexpected spin-offs ar e presented and an outlook on the future is also given.