Laboratory accreditation: A manufacturer's experiences

The experiences of a manufacturers laboratory which has recently completed the NVLAP accreditation process for acoustical testing will be discussed in this paper. The accreditation process involves a significant amount of effort on the part of the laboratory undergoing accreditation and the motivation for undergoing accreditation, the costs, benefits, and problem areas which have surfaced will be discussed for both the initial laboratory accreditation and the subsequent proficiency testing.