South African National Accreditation System
The South African National Accreditation System is the official laboratory accreditation body for South Africa. Founded in 1996, SANAS is headquartered in Pretoria, South Africa. SANAS accreditation certificates are a formal recognition by the Government of South Africa that an organisation is competent to perform specific tasks.
SANAS provides formal recognition to
- Laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025 and medical laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025 and/or ISO 15189
- Certification bodies for Quality Management Systems and Environmental Management Systems to ISO/IEC 17021,
- Inspection bodies to ISO/IEC/17020.
- Proficiency testing scheme providers
- Good Laboratory Practice test facilities for compliance to OECD GLP principles
About SANAS
SANAS is located on the Department of Trade, Industry & Competition Campus in Pretoria. It is directed by a board of directors appointed by the Minister of Trade and Industry. The Board delegates to the chief executive officer of SANAS the responsibility to implement the SANAS strategic objectives. The Approval Committees make recommendation to the CEO concerning the granting and continuation of accreditation and GLP compliance.SANAS plays an important role in SADC by hosting the SADC Accreditation Secretariat and holding the regional coordinator position. The body is further currently assisting the newly established SADC Accreditation Services by training assessors and partnering with that body. SANAS was also recently elected to host the secretariat for the newly established African Accreditation Cooperation, launched in support of an African technical infrastructure under the African Union.
SANAS is a founding signatory of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and International Accreditation Forum. For South African trade, it implies the elimination of or reduction in the need for retesting or recertification to an importing country that is a signatory to the arrangement. In 2012, the multilateral recognition arrangement for inspection was officially launched under ILAC. SANAS was one of the first signatories to this agreement, allowing international recognition of the inspection results of South Africa's accredited facilities.
History
Early accreditation
Accreditation in South Africa started in 1980 with the formation of the National Calibration Service, later called the National Laboratory Accreditation Service. Initially the NCS, which was operated under the auspices of the CSIR, accredited laboratories only in the field of calibration.In 1994 the NLA became an independent Section 21 company in line with international requirements pertaining to autonomy. From 1995 the NLA accredited testing laboratories, assuming responsibility for laboratories previously accredited under a South African Bureau of Standards system.
The Department of Trade and Industry had recognised the need to create a single national accreditation system as long ago as 1993, and the establishment of such a system was approved by Cabinet in late 1994.
During 1995 the newly independent NLA was contracted to create the South African National Accreditation System. In July 1995 a working group was formed to finalise the organisational structure and constitution of SANAS. The new entity was registered as a Section 21 company in January 1996.
Founding of SANAS
SANAS was officially launched in August 1996. In December 1997, SANAS and the DTI agreed to recognize SANAS as the single national authority for the accreditation of test and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies, bodies for certification of quality and environmental management systems, product conformity certification bodies. The agreement also recognized SANAS as the national monitoring authority for GLP and GCP compliant facilities.In 1998, SANAS became fully operational. with one division in charge of the accreditation of laboratories/inspection bodies and the other division handling the accreditation of all certification bodies.
On 1 May 2007 SANAS became a public entity. By the end of 2012, SANAS had accredited more than 1400 conformity assessment bodies in South Africa.
Entities certified by SANAS
Calibration laboratories and proficiency testing schemes
Calibration laboratories provide legal metrological traceability in South Africa. The laboratories form an integral part of the metrological chain whenever physical measurements are performed.The calibration programme ensures that:
- the weights of the sugar, maize meal and flour purchased by consumers are correct.
- the accuracy of the equipment used for law enforcement, such as evidential breath analysers and speed measuring devices,
- the accuracy and traceability of measurements required within the IPAP priority sectors.
Testing laboratories
Testing laboratories provide objective evidence that a product or service offering conforms to certain customer requirements or specifications.SANAS-accredited laboratories in the food safety sector play an important role in monitoring the quality of food for import and export purposes, as well as for the health and safety of the public at large. The testing programme also provides an accreditation service in the IPAP priority sectors and other industry sectors, including environmental monitoring, food safety, infrastructure and construction, agriculture and minerals.
Medical laboratories
Credibility of medical pathology laboratories is paramount to the health and safety of the patients who rely on the testing services provided by these laboratories. Laboratory tests are an integral part of the workup of any patient, and constitutes up to 80% of a physician's diagnosis and treatment choice. It is therefore important that the results are reliable, as medical doctors base their diagnosis on such results.GLP-compliant facilities
SANAS is the official OECD GLP monitoring authority. The main duty of the GLP monitoring authority is to monitor compliance with GLP Principles by conducting laboratory inspections and study audits.The OECD principles of GLP were primarily developed to promote the quality and validity of test data used to determine the safety of chemicals and chemical products.