CEO Update | Why NATA Video | Member Spotlight | Industry Updates and Conferences | Education
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View the first in our new ‘Why NATA’ video series
In this issue
CEO Update | NATA in the News | Member Spotlight | MAF | OECD | APQO | NAAW | HP AAC Meeting | NATA Education
CEO Update
Busy months at NATA with the spotlight firmly on COVID-19 testing accreditations and a return to international travel back on the agenda.
NATA has taken a strong position on both and, regarding travel, is calling on Government, airlines and the travel industry to ensure all laboratories performing COVID-19 testing be accredited and recognised under the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) framework, no matter the test procedure being adopted view media release.
NATA is also calling for test reports (or certificates) required for travel to identify the accreditation status of
the laboratory and believes the benefits of this approach will create confidence that testing procedures have been performed competently to an internationally recognised ISO standard and more importantly, will support public safety when travelling. It is also an example of NATA supporting our members and our members’ businesses.
There is no question, COVID has and continues to change the way we live our lives, and accredited testing remains a key focus for our organisation, and for many of our members.
NATA has already accredited more than 160 facilities to undertake testing for COVID-19, mainly for the gold standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, but now for Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT).
In September, we proudly accredited our first mobile COVID-19 testing facility - Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory (MDU PHL) - for both mobile Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) and mobile Reverse-Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). We anticipate a great deal more activity in this area going forward.
See MDU’s mobile laboratory video here or learn more.
NATA’s staff marked ‘R U OK? Day’ on September 9 producing a video to support and share this important initiative with all our communities. With COVID-19 and lockdowns impacting our daily
lives, we encourage all our members to reach out and check in with colleagues, family and friends and ask R U OK? You can watch our message here.
Our new three-year strategic plan to make NATA an irresistible proposition has meant many changes to our organisation, especially in the way we serve our members, engage new procedures and continue to adopt to new ways of working in remote environments.
To improve our responsiveness in a changing and dynamic market, we have restructured our operations teams to enable a more seamless and nimble approach and with the appointment of highly-skilled Accreditation Coordinators (ACs) - we are now even more responsive to the diverse needs of our clients.
NATA’s Annual General Meeting will be held (virtually) at 12.00pm (AEST) on Wednesday, October 13 (NATA will send a Zoom link) and the 2021 Annual Report will be available soon afterwards. Visit our website to download a copy.
Finally, NATA will celebrate its 75th year of operation in 2022. You will be hearing more about this and our exciting plans in coming months and we hope, as you have been part of our journey, that you will celebrate this milestone with us. Please continue to stay safe and well wherever you are.
JENNIFER EVANS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia
Image: Jennifer Evans, NATA CEO speaking with Karl Stefanovic on Channel 9's Today Show
NATA in the News
NATA accredits first mobile COVID-19 testing facility
NATA calls for a global standardised COVID-19 testing approach for travel
NATA speaks on the BBC's World Business Report on COVID-19 testing for travellers
Image: Stuart Kenny Territory Instruments
Video courtesy: Santos Ltd YouTube video
Member Spotlight
Territory Instruments
Territory Instruments ISO/IEC 17025
accreditation ensured Santos’ complex instrumentation remains compliant.
Image courtesy:Woodside Energy Ltd.
Woodside Energy Ltd.
Woodside Energy, the largest independent oil and gas producer in Australia, has recently transferred part of its accredited activities.
HoseCo Ltd.
How NATA accreditation helps HoseCo protect those working with flexible hoses.
Image:HoseCo Ltd.
Image (above): David Mahaffey during recent NATA Inspection. Photo credit: Dincel Structural Walling
Image (right): Concrete Institute of Australia
Mahaffey Associates
In a snap COVID lockdown, remote NATA accreditation assists NSW concrete industry client to rapidly transition from ISO/IEC17025 to ISO/IEC17020 to ensure job is completed and completed to standard.
Have you recently or are you about to be ‘NATA accredited’ or have a great accreditation story to tell? Contact our NATA News team: natanews@nata.com.au
The NATA Member Advisory Forum (MAF) will replace the Members' Representative Group. It is a strategic group of select NATA members that will help shape the vision, direction, drivers, and priorities of our members' businesses and industries.
OECD Advisory Document on (GLP) Data Integrity
The OECD Advisory Document on Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) Data Integrity is designed to provide guidance for test facilities or test sites that conduct GLP studies.
APQO Quality Conference
26th Asia Pacific Quality Organisation (APQO) conference
A major quality event and sponsored by NATA, the joint APQO and Qualcon Conference will be held throughout the month of October 2021.
National Asbestos Awareness Week (NAAW)
This year's National Asbestos Awareness Week (22-28 November 2021) campaign asks Australians to Think Twice About Asbestos. The campaign challenges complacency by reminding home renovators and tradespeople that the danger of asbestos is far from over.
NATA will be once again an active participant in this important campaign and encourage our staff, members and stakeholder to get involved.
31st Human Pathology AAC Meeting
The 31st Human Pathology Accreditation Advisory Committee meeting will be held on 12 October 2021. The draft agenda for this meeting is now available for your comment: Human Pathology AAC Meeting Agenda.
Please forward any issues or agenda items you would like the Committee to discuss by 7 October 2021 to Sarah Garoffolo via corpcomm@nata.com.au.
NATA Education
NATA has now released new 2022* Training dates.
We are also pleased to announce our new Risk Management in the Laboratory Course.
This is a one-day online course that begins on Wednesday 3 November.
To secure your place any of our popular courses and programs including the newly revised Understanding ISO/IEC 17025, as well as Standards ISO 15189, The Art of Internal Auditing and Quality Management in the Laboratory, visit NATA Training.
Hurry, enrol now as spaces are limited. Don't forget, you can save 15% when you enrol 3 or more people!
* With the changing situation due to COVID-19, face-to-face courses may move to online delivery.
