"Laboratories" division
At Cofrac, our Laboratories division accredits test and calibration laboratories, proficiency testing providers and producers of reference material. We are involved in all types of activity sectors, including agri-food professionals, chemicals, and the building industry. We are also active in the framework of GEP (Good Experimental Practices) approval and the application of GLP (Good Laboratory Practices) principles.
Each product that we consume or use is subject to inspections to ensure its conformity with the standards and regulations in force, along with the requirements of ministerial authorities or customers. From the quality of the water that we drink or the air that we breathe, to our children's toys or our mobile devices: all are checked by laboratories to ensure they present no danger to our health.
In our division, in 2020:
1884 entities were accredited
- 450 in the "Building-Electricity" division
- 496 in the "Biology-Agrifood" division
- 542 in the "Physics-Mechanics" division
- 396 in the "Chemicals-Environment" division
1194 assessments carried out
53 employees
What types of bodies can be accredited by the Laboratories division ?
Test, analysis and calibration laboratories
Cofrac guarantees their technical competence and impartiality for specific inspection operations to measure a characteristic or assess a given criterion, based on accreditation standard ISO/IEC 17025.
- With regard to tests, accreditation may concern laboratories carrying out analysis of chemical agents in the water or the air; determining nutritional profiles and searching for contaminants in foodstuffs; carrying out in-situ electromagnetic field measurements, mechanical tests on metallic materials, etc.
- With regard to calibration, accreditation recognises a laboratory's competence to carry out calibrations or metrological checks in a defined field and with specified uncertainties. The presence of the COFRAC Etalonnage (Calibration) Mark on the calibration certificate guarantees the traceability of the measurements to the International System of Units (SI).
Proficiency testing providers
In France, laboratories are required to guarantee the quality of their results and demonstrate their competence in their fields of activity. To do so, they may organise, on a voluntary basis, a comparison of their results with other laboratories. How these comparisons are organised must comply with accreditation standard ISO/IEC 17043.
In France, laboratories are required to guarantee the quality of their results and demonstrate their competence in their fields of activity. To do so, they may organise, on a voluntary basis, a comparison of their results with other laboratories. How these comparisons are organised must comply with accreditation standard ISO/IEC 17043.
Areas covered
Find bodies accredited by the Laboratories division.
Case of GEP and GLP
Good Experimental Practices (GEP)
The Laboratories division is responsible for reviewing requests for assessment of conformity with the GEP principles and the monitoring of bodies that have obtained approval, extension to this approval, and new sectors of activity and/or new units of experimentation, or approval renewal. For this, Cofrac organises assessment visits and guarantees the qualification and follow-up of the technical experts and audit team managers conducting them.
Good Laboratory Practices (GLP)
Cofrac controls the GLP conformity of test facilities located on French territory for tests on pesticides, additives for human and animal food, as well as on industrial chemicals. It examines the applications and monitors the files of any test facility declaring to apply the principles of GLP, organizes the inspections and ensures the recruitment of assessors and technical experts who carry them out. Cofrac takes decisions relating to GLP conformity on behalf of the State.
