NHA lab maintains international quality standard

The NHA is pleased to announce that its Laboratory, has been reissued with a Certificate of Accreditation to the most recent version of the international laboratory testing quality compliance standard ISO/IEC 17025:2017. This certification will remain in place and valid until June 2027, conditional on surveillance assessments (interim inspections) every 18 months. Our Laboratory has been accredited to such an international standard since 1994.

This successful re-accreditation was the result of a recent, re-assessment and on-site inspection of the Laboratory premises and quality system (manual) by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) over several days. The very comprehensive, in-depth inspection scope even included investigation into the soundness of scientific analysis as well as validation principles.

Within the assessment outcome, there were no findings relating to the international compliance, prescribed accuracy, screening consistency or the scientific quality of the analyses which we conduct and the results which the Laboratory reports to the Racing Control Department and other clients.

This quality compliance and certification is not just proof of good laboratory practices and a formal quality framework with formal policies, procedures, methods, validation and certification being in place, it also monitors the quality compliance to the standards prescribed by racing internationally, within the requirements of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), the Association of Official Racing Chemists (AORC) and the international racing analysis operational standard ILAC-G7:04/2021.

This achievement is reaffirmation of our international quality standard after a score of 100% in the most recent proficiency testing process of the Association of Official Racing Chemists. Such testing fulfils two important checks. The first being, that the NHA Laboratory detects the internationally (IFHA) required prohibited substances at the required sensitivities in blind specimens which are supplied from overseas. The second check is the overseas independent analysis and confirmation of NHA Laboratory negative specimens to be in fact negative for the wide range of such prohibited substances. - NHA