In the laboratory sector, proficiency tests or laboratory performance tests by independent providers such as CEC are common as a method of external quality assurance for measurement procedures. For accredited testing laboratories, DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 even requires regular participation in proficiency tests in order to monitor their own performance by comparison with the results of other laboratories. It is also advisable for in-house laboratories to regularly compare their own performance.
By participating in the laboratory proficiency test, laboratories demonstrate their competence in successfully performing cleanliness analyses on particulate measurement systems and can prove this in audits, accreditation and customer-supplier relationships. For the verification, an identical reference sample is analyzed according to the same procedure in the participating laboratories in accordance with VDA 19.1. The resulting test results are then anonymously compared with each other. Finally, the laboratories receive an evaluation of their results according to DIN 38402-A45 in a results report.