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Warren
Merkel, a laboratory-testing and accreditation authority
with public and private-sector experience, has
been chosen
to lead the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
(NVLAP) at the Commerce Department’s National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST), beginning June 30, 2003.
Before joining NIST, Merkel was the technical manager
for the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation
(A2LA).
As NVLAP director, he will oversee accreditation of testing
and calibration laboratories in eight major product and
service categories, from environmental analyses and
radiation dosimetry
to testing of information technology security and various
types of products.
NVLAP accreditation confirms that laboratories demonstrate
compliance with quality and procedural requirements, satisfying
relevant federal regulations and conforming to requirements
jointly established by the International Organization for
Standardization and the International Electrotechnical
Commission, known as ISO/IEC 17025. The result of rigorous third-party evaluations, NVLAP accreditation
helps to ensure that test results and calibration certificates
provided by accredited laboratories will be recognized nationally
and internationally. This can eliminate the need for additional
testing and evaluation to prove compliance with health, safety
and environmental regulations or to fulfill market requirements.
NVLAP programs for assessing the capabilities and competence
of calibration and testing laboratories are established in
response to Congressional mandates and requests from federal agencies and private-sector organizations.
Currently, there are some 750 NVLAP-accredited laboratories,
including more than 100 located outside the United States.
At A2LA,
a membership society that offers private-sector accreditation
services, Merkel coordinated
development of
new accreditation programs and served as technical liaison
with laboratory users, industry groups, government agencies
and international peers. He previously had served as the
organization’s operations manager, overseeing the day-to-day
activities of all A2LA accreditation programs.
Prior
to joining A2LA in 1996, Merkel was a chemist at the Defense
Personnel Support Center where
he planned, performed,
evaluated and reported results of chemical, mechanical and
dimensional testing, and audited and monitored textile laboratories
in the center’s Qualified Laboratory Program.
“Under Warren’s leadership, NVLAP will continue
to meet growing demand by both federal agencies and private-sector
organizations for third-party assurance that tests and calibrations
are competently conducted,” says Mary Saunders, NIST’s
chief of Standards Services.
C. Douglas
Faison, the program’s acting chief since
December 2002, will continue as NVLAP’s senior calibration
program manager.
As a
non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s
Technology Administration, NIST develops and promotes measurement,
standards and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate
trade and improve the quality of life.
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See
also: A-Z Subject Index, NIST
Home Page
Created:
05/21/2003
Last updated: 03/15/2004
Contact: inquiries@nist.gov
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