NATA test reports explained
Reports issued by NATA accredited organisations for example, test reports and calibration certificates, are documents that describe the activities performed, the results of those activities and, where necessary, include information required to interpret these results.
NATA endorsement
NATA accredited organisations are encouraged to include the NATA endorsement on their reports for activities covered under their scope of accreditation.
Use of the NATA endorsement is not permitted on reports of testing outside the scope of accreditation.
There are some exceptions to this rule and in these cases, it is recommended you speak to a NATA Accreditation Specialist prior to endorsing reports.
Report inclusions
Reports from accredited organisations must include information relevant to the international standard they are accredited to – for example – ISO 15189 for human pathology organisations or ISO/IEC 17025 for calibration laboratories.
It should be noted that different industries and programs may have different or additional reporting requirements, so it is important you speak to a NATA Accreditation Specialist if you have any questions.
Preliminary reports
Preliminary reports may be issued prior to completion of all parts of a test .
In these cases, those parts of the test being reported must be checked and authorised and the status of the report noted as preliminary.
Verifying Authorities
NATA accredited organisations that have been appointed as Verifying Authorities by the National Measurement Institute of Australia (NMI), must comply with reporting, calibration and test method requirements of the NMI.
Where relevant they must also hold Regulation 13 certificates for their reference equipment.
Subcontracting
Where a report contains results of tests performed by subcontractors, these results must be clearly identified.
Amendments to reports or Calibration Certificates
After issue, any amendments to a report or calibration certificate must be noted in an additional document which includes the statement:
“Supplement to Test Report [or Calibration Certificate], serial number 0000000 [or as otherwise identified].”
When an organisation is required to issue a new report or Calibration Certificate, the new report must be identified as such and include a reference to the original.
More information
If you have any further questions about a report you have received from a NATA accredited organisation, please do not hesitate to Contact us.