Non-conforming work

Nonconforming work is an event when an aspect of the laboratory’s activities or results of this work (outcome or actual test results) deviated from what was supposed to happen. It can happen when ever there is a deviation from the laboratory’s own procedures or agreements with a customer. For example, equipment performance was not verified (as required in a procedure) , or incorrect sample storage meant a sample could not be tested.  Another example would be if environmental conditions are found to be out of specified limits and the sample analysis was delayed. This means that even if the sample is stable and the results are not affected, this is still a nonconforming event (work) because the existing control of a risk (temperature) failed and an objective of turnaround time, for example, or customer satisfaction is affected.

For further information on dealing with nonconformances, see the Article Corrective actions principles and root cause analysis in ISO 17025 at https://advisera.com/17025academy/blog/2020/11/04/corrective-actions-principles-and-root-cause-analysis-in-iso-17025/

and the Toolkit ISO 17025 templates: 

• Complaint, Nonconformity and Corrective Action Procedure at https://advisera.com/17025academy/documentation/complaint-nonconformity-and-corrective-action-procedure
• Corrective Action Report (CAR) at https://advisera.com/17025academy/documentation/corrective-action-report-car