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ISO9001/ - ISO17025 Standards Audits at the Environmental Laboratory that guarantee data quality 05/09/2025 Share The Ministry of Environment's (MA) laboratory went through a new audit process that concludes with the maintenance of the certification of its Quality Management System - ISO 9001 and the accreditation of environmental tests, in accordance with the technical requirements of the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. This guarantees the technical quality of the data reported for environmental management, and guides us to optimize processes, timeframes, and costs. The Environmental Laboratory, a national reference, has had a certified management system in accordance with the requirements of the international standard ISO 9001 since 2003. It is audited annually by the Uruguayan Institute of Technical Standards (UNIT), a member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The audits are also associated with new international requirements established by the standard and with the requirement to evolve year after year based on the Deming cycle, a continuous improvement model that includes: plan, do, verify, and act. Natalia Barboza, director of the laboratory, which is under the jurisdiction of the National Directorate of Quality and Environmental Assessment (Dinacea) of the Ministry of the Environment, noted, "Standard 9001 is the structure that allows us to work in a solid, systematic, and transparent manner, with a focus on optimization." This certification not only covers the laboratory's external analytical requirements but also extends to the Ministry of the Environment's internal advisory process, linked to areas of environmental quality, impact assessment, and/or environmental control and performance, both in terms of requests for sample analysis and the handling of complaints or advice. Furthermore, the laboratory is audited annually by the Uruguayan Accreditation Body (OUA) and has accredited testing according to the requirements established in the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. The scope of the accreditation includes physicochemical testing (total suspended solids, chromium, lead, total phosphorus, ammonium, nitrogen, BOD5), pesticide analysis, and ecotoxicity testing. "These tests were chosen based on their inclusion in national environmental regulations, their high demand for the laboratory, and their reference tests for the rest of the analyses we perform at our facilities," explained Natalia Barboza. Furthermore, the Ministry of Environmental Affairs (MA) created the National Registry of Environmental Laboratories, which lists all laboratories that must submit data to the Ministry through various procedures and processes. The tests performed by these laboratories must be accredited according to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. If they are not, they must submit an accreditation plan to the Ministry of Environment, with specific deadlines depending on the test. "Given that the Ministry established this accreditation requirement according to the standard, it is essential that we also have it. Beyond being the official laboratory, we believe this provides transparency and solidity to these types of decisions and requirements," Barboza emphasized. The Environmental Laboratory's mission is to be the national reference laboratory in this area. In this sense, maintaining these certifications and accreditations is a permanent challenge. Analytical determinations, with the corresponding quality assurance, are a fundamental tool for the environmental management that the Ministry of the Environment seeks to carry out. Image gallery 1 / 3 Laboratory of the Ministry of the Environment Download image: Laboratory of the Ministry of the Environment PreviousNext Download all images (.zip 756.66 KB) 4 images, 756.66 KB Tags Laboratory
