Laboratory customers, regulatory authorities and accreditation bodies may also use it in confirming or recognizing the competence of laboratories. ISO/IEC 17025:2005 is for use by laboratories in developing their management system for quality, administrative and technical operations. When a laboratory does not undertake one or more of the activities covered by ISO/IEC 17025:2005, such as sampling and the design/development of new methods, the requirements of those clauses do not apply. ISO/IEC 17025:2005 is applicable to all laboratories regardless of the number of personnel or the extent of the scope of testing and/or calibration activities. These include, for example, first-, second- and third-party laboratories, and laboratories where testing and/or calibration forms part of inspection and product certification. It is applicable to all organizations performing tests and/or calibrations. It covers testing and calibration performed using standard methods, non-standard methods, and laboratory-developed methods. ISO/IEC 17025:2005 specifies the general requirements for the competence to carry out tests and/or calibrations, including sampling.
