TS EN ISO/IEC 17043

TS EN ISO/IEC 17043 is a conformity assessment standard that sets out the general requirements for how proficiency testing schemes are developed and operated, and how the competence of the providers of those schemes is to be assured. Proficiency testing is used to compare the performance of laboratories or other measurement organisations, so the standard is concerned with the reliable management of the scheme rather than with a single analytical method.

The technical purpose of proficiency testing schemes

In general technical terms, proficiency testing relies on multiple participants producing results on the same or similar items and comparing those results against predetermined criteria. This is widely used to monitor measurement quality, check inter-laboratory consistency, and detect performance drift at an early stage. ISO/IEC 17043 provides a common framework for this use across many sectors, which makes it adaptable to different application areas.

What the standard covers in general terms

• Planning and design of proficiency testing schemes
• Operation of the scheme and management of results
• General requirements for the competence of the scheme provider
• A common framework that can be adapted to different technical fields

Accordingly, the standard focuses less on defining a sector-specific test procedure and more on core qualities such as impartiality, technical competence, orderly operation, and consistent evaluation. It provides a shared structure and terminology for proficiency testing arrangements used in inspection, calibration, analysis, and similar performance comparisons. The detailed technical rules for a particular field can then be built on top of this general foundation.

This record is shown as withdrawn, but the subject remains the general approach to designing and running proficiency testing schemes. The distinction between terms matters: proficiency testing is not an internal control exercise for one laboratory alone, but a structured comparison tool for the performance of multiple participants.