NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories)
Definition
India's ISO 17025 accreditation body, operating under DPIIT and signatory to the ILAC MRA since 2001. Accredits CFSLs and SFSLs for specific forensic chemistry test scopes. NABL accreditation is an increasingly mandatory requirement for Indian FSL forensic reports under Supreme Court of India directions.
- Standard
- ISO 17025 accreditation body for India
- Operates under
- DPIIT
- International signatory
- ILAC MRA since 2001
- Accredits
- CFSLs and SFSLs for specific test scopes
- Status trend
- Increasingly mandated by Indian Supreme Court directions
Common questions
What does ILAC MRA signatory status actually mean in practice?+
It means NABL-accredited test results are recognized as equivalent to accreditation body results in other signatory countries under the mutual recognition arrangement, which supports the international acceptance of Indian forensic laboratory reports without requiring separate re-testing abroad.
Why does accreditation apply to specific test scopes rather than a whole laboratory?+
ISO 17025 accreditation is granted method by method, so a lab may be accredited for certain chemistry tests but not others depending on which methods it validated and had assessed. A report should specify whether the exact test performed falls within the lab's accredited scope.
What changes for an FSL once NABL accreditation becomes mandatory for its reports?+
The lab must demonstrate ongoing compliance with ISO 17025 requirements such as method validation, proficiency testing, and documented quality management, and unaccredited scopes may face increased scrutiny or challenge in court as courts increasingly expect NABL-backed reports for reliability.
Related terms
- Corrective Action and CAPA
- The ISO 17025 Clause 8.7 requirement for root-cause analysis and documented corrective and preventive action (CAPA) following any nonconformity (PT failure, IQC...
- ENFSI (European Network of Forensic Science Institutes)
- The umbrella organisation representing public forensic science laboratories across Europe. Develops best practice manuals for forensic disciplines, runs proficiency testing schemes, and...
- ILAC MRA (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement)
- An agreement among national accreditation bodies (NABL, A2LA, UKAS, DAkkS, etc.) under which accreditation by any signatory body is recognised as equivalent,...
- ISO/IEC 17025:2017
- The international standard specifying general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Covers management (document control, non-conforming work, audits) and...
- Management Review
- The annual governance meeting required under ISO 17025 Clause 8.9, at which laboratory management reviews the aggregated quality performance data (PT results,...
- Measurement Uncertainty
- A quantitative statement of the range within which the true value of a measurement lies, at a stated confidence level (typically 95%,...
- Method Validation
- The process of demonstrating that an analytical method does what it claims: that it correctly identifies the target analyte, at what sensitivity,...
- Proficiency Testing (PT)
- A quality assurance mechanism in which laboratories analyse blind samples distributed by an external scheme coordinator and have their results compared against...
- SWGDRUG
- Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs, established in 1997 by the US DEA and the Office of National Drug...