In a significant development aimed at elevating the quality and credibility of its laboratory services, the Civil Engineering Department, faculty of Engineering at Tishk International University (TIU) hosted a week-long training course titled “Awareness and Implementation of ISO/IEC 17025:2017” from September 17th to 21st, 2023,
The course, conducted at the Faculty of Engineering, marked the initial step in the department’s journey toward obtaining its accreditation from the Iraqi Accreditation Systems for its laboratory facilities. ISO/IEC 17025 is a globally recognized standard that enables laboratories to demonstrate their competence and the validity of their results. This accreditation is a testament to the laboratory’s ability to generate reliable data, fostering confidence both at a national and international level. Furthermore, it simplifies cooperation between laboratories and other organizations by enhancing the acceptance of results nationally and internationally.
The idea of pursuing accreditation was initiated by Dr. Barham Haidar, the Head of the Civil Engineering Department and his team. Dr. Haidar recognized the importance of this step in establishing a strong presence in the market, improving the laboratory’s quality standards, enabling the provision of testing services to the market and industry, and enhancing the department and university’s reputation.
The training course, designed to equip all lab staff with the necessary expertise and certification, saw active participation from the entire academic staff of the Civil Engineering Department. The course was organized in partnership with the support of Bureau Veritas Agency and was delivered by Mr. Talal Khalid Hasan, a Consultative Freelancer specializing in Quality Management Systems.
The comprehensive curriculum of the course encompassed key topics, including various aspects of a well-functioning laboratory, management system requirements, the general and structural requisites of ISO 17025, aspects of impartiality, resource requirements, process requirements, measurement uncertainty, report generation, documentation, and the significance of quality and laboratory accreditation.
The training course concluded with a closing ceremony where the President of TIU, Prof. Dr. Abdul Samad, the Vice President, Asst. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ozdemir, and the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Jwan Jalal, presented participation certificates to the training attendees. These certificates were awarded for the successful completion of the ISO 17025 training program. This achievement underscores the department’s strong dedication to maintaining the highest quality standards and promoting a culture of ongoing enhancement in laboratory procedures.
