Calibration Vs. Qualification: What’s the Difference and Why Is It Important?

Maintaining laboratory monitoring equipment can be a lot to handle, especially when it comes to understanding the different services needed to keep everything working as it should. Take calibration and qualification, for example—both are important services we provide with very different purposes but given how similar they sound, it can be easy to get the two confused or use them interchangeably. But not to worry — we’re here to break it down for you.

Laboratory Monitoring Equipment Calibration

Calibration is the process of comparing the measured value of a device or sensor to a calibrated standard to determine its accuracy. Calibrating the sensors monitoring your laboratory equipment or storage area helps spot and correct parameter drifts, which could impact the high-value products and samples being monitored.

While calibrating your laboratory monitoring system isn’t a legal requirement, it is a good way to achieve peace of mind that your high-value products and samples will remain secure during storage. Plus, fully calibrated laboratory equipment strengthens trust and reliability between your organisation and its customers.

At Contronics, we calibrate sensors to an approved in-house SOP or ISO 17025 standard, so you can rest assured your monitoring equipment continues to run exactly as it should.

You can find out more about the importance of system calibration here.

 

Laboratory Monitoring Equipment Qualification

Qualification, on the other hand, is a detailed documentation process that acts as a confirmation that your monitoring system is correctly installed, operating as intended and without errors. Qualification provides a comprehensive record to demonstrate compliance and reliability in your monitoring systems.

It’s important to include qualification in your ongoing maintenance framework alongside calibration. While fully calibrated sensors are key for maintaining accuracy, it’s just as crucial to ensure the storage area or equipment housing these sensors is working properly. That’s why having a qualification ‘paper trail’ is so valuable. It’s a simple way to show that your laboratory monitoring equipment ticks all the right boxes in terms of functionality.

So, there you have it. While calibration and qualification may sound similar, these two essential processes serve distinct purposes. Together, they help ensure that your products and samples, equipment and storage areas remain protected from parameter excursions or incidents that could pose a risk to their quality, safety and regulatory compliance.

If you have any questions or would like to book a free consultation (including a site survey and no obligation quotation) with one of our monitoring system specialists, contact us below: