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NIST has developed an organizational policy on traceability and a set of related supplementary materials, which includes answers to questions frequently asked by customers of NIST measurement services. The policy and supplementary materials are intended to serve as a resource for NIST customers.
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Introduction
The mission of NIST is to develop and promote measurement, standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life. To help meet the measurement and standards needs of U.S. industry and the nation, NIST provides calibrations, standard reference materials, standard reference data, test methods, proficiency evaluation materials, measurement quality assurance programs, and laboratory accreditation services that assist a customer in establishing traceability of results of measurements or values of standards.
Traceability requires the establishment of an unbroken chain of comparisons to stated references. NIST assures the traceability of results of measurements or values of standards that NIST itself provides, either directly or through an official NIST program or collaboration. Other organizations are responsible for establishing the traceability of their own results or values to those of NIST or other stated references. NIST has adopted this policy statement to document the NIST role with respect to traceability.
Statement of Policy
To support the conduct of its mission and to ensure that the use of its name, products, and services is consistent with its authority and responsibility, NIST:
Return to the NIST Policy on Traceability - Introduction
- Adopts for its own use and recommends for use by others the definition of traceability provided in the most recent version of the International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology: "property of the result of a measurement or the value of a standard whereby it can be related to stated references, usually national or international standards, through an unbroken chain of comparisons all having stated uncertainties." (International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology (VIM), BIPM, IEC, IFCC, ISO, IUPAC, IUPAP, OIML, 2nd ed., 1993, definition 6.10)
- Establishes traceability of the results of its own measurements and values of its own standards and of results and values provided to customers in NIST calibration and measurement certificates, operating in accordance with the NIST System for Assuring Quality in the Results of Measurements Delivered to Customers in Calibration and Measurement Certificates see http://www.nist.gov/nistsystem/
- Asserts that providing support for a claim of traceability of the result of a measurement or value of a standard is the responsibility of the provider of that result or value, whether that provider is NIST or another organization; and that assessing the validity of such a claim is the responsibility of the user of that result or value.
- Communicates, especially where claims expressing or implying the contrary are made, that NIST does not define, specify, assure, or certify traceability of the results of measurements or values of standards except those that NIST itself provides, either directly or through an official NIST program or collaboration. (See also NIST Administrative Manual, Subchapter 5.03, NIST Policy on Use of its Name in Advertising at http://ts.nist.gov/traceability/503.htm)
- Collaborates on development of standard definitions, interpretations, and recommended practices with organizations that have authority and responsibility for variously defining, specifying, assuring, or certifying traceability.
- Develops and disseminates technical information on traceability and conducts coordinated outreach programs on issues of traceability and related requirements.
- Assigns responsibility for oversight of implementation of the NIST policy on traceability to the NIST Measurement Services Advisory Group.
