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articles:nist_traceability [2020/01/23 10:02] – [Traceability to Organizations, rather than SI Units] rrandallarticles:nist_traceability [2020/01/23 10:16] – [Conclusion] rrandall
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-Specifying that a calibration service provider __must__ supply "NIST Traceable" calibration certifications not only reveals a lack of understanding "metrological traceability", it ignores the reality that many calibrations, whether from NMIs (e.g., the [[https://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/solutions/advisory/calibration_index.html|NRC]] in Canada, [[http://www.cenam.mx/eng/|CENAM]] in Mexico, [[https://www.ptb.de/cms/en.html|PTB]] in Germany,) or accredited commercial metrology laboratories, may be traceable to SI units through other means (e.g., intrinsic measurement standards).+Specifying that a calibration service provider __must__ supply "NIST Traceable" calibration certifications, which this policy essentially requires, not only reveals a lack of understanding "metrological traceability", it ignores the reality that many calibrations, whether from NMIs (e.g., the [[https://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/solutions/advisory/calibration_index.html|NRC]] in Canada, [[http://www.cenam.mx/eng/|CENAM]] in Mexico, [[https://www.ptb.de/cms/en.html|PTB]] in Germany,) or accredited commercial metrology laboratories, may be traceable to SI units through other means (e.g., intrinsic measurement standards).
  
 This is politely pointed out by the [[https://ilac.org|ILAC – International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation"]]. This is politely pointed out by the [[https://ilac.org|ILAC – International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation"]].
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 NIST, for example, is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce. When the US Government was "shut down" during 1995, 2013, 2018, and 2019, NIST operations were suspended. So if your company had measurement standards at NIST awaiting calibration, or if you outsourced calibration to a metrology lab who had its measurement standards at NIST, then the length of time associated with the government "shutdown" was added to the delay in receiving those instruments. These government "shutdowns" create a "ripple effect" throughout industry. NIST, for example, is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce. When the US Government was "shut down" during 1995, 2013, 2018, and 2019, NIST operations were suspended. So if your company had measurement standards at NIST awaiting calibration, or if you outsourced calibration to a metrology lab who had its measurement standards at NIST, then the length of time associated with the government "shutdown" was added to the delay in receiving those instruments. These government "shutdowns" create a "ripple effect" throughout industry.
  
-To avoid this, standards writing bodies and regulatory agencies should gain a better understanding of "metrological traceability" and allow other NMIs and/or accredited commercial metrology laboratories to be utilized in providing metrological traceability to SI units.+To avoid this, standards writing bodies and regulatory agencies should gain a better understanding of "metrological traceability" and allow other NMIs and/or accredited commercial metrology laboratories to be utilized in providing metrological traceability to SI units. In particular, these bodies should promote international consistency of measurements through adopting the recommendations of the [[https://ilac.org/latest_ilac_news/joint-bipm-oiml-iso-and-ilac-declaration-on-metrological-traceability-signed/|"Joint BIPM, OIML, ISO and ILAC Declaration on Metrological Traceability"]].
  
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 For more information visit: [[https://us.flukecal.com/literature/about-calibration]] For more information visit: [[https://us.flukecal.com/literature/about-calibration]]