UKAS accreditation in an HV laboratory : a management perspective

Throughout the world, HV laboratories are adjusting to the philosophy of measurement system traceability and accreditation. The stimulus for this change has been the recent revision and publication of IEC Standard 60-2: 1994; the standard itself is concerned with `High Voltage Test Techniques´ and Part 2 applies to `Measuring Systems´. The revised standard introduces the concept of `approval´ of high voltage measuring systems via a hierarchy of measurement systems with ultimate traceability to national reference standards. For a few laboratories already acting as a key national institution, accreditation might be a fairly straightforward exercise and indeed a number in this category have already achieved this status. But for many other laboratories, having an industrial or manufacturing background, it is probably a daunting prospect. Following the author´s own experience, this paper highlights the key factors that high voltage laboratories must consider in preparation for a UKAS assessment and life thereafter