Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill (second right), is greeted by Technical Consultant with the Environmental Health Laboratory (EHL), Nilsia Johnson (second left), at the recent accreditation ceremony for EHL, held at the AC Mariott Hotel in New Kingston. Others pictured (from left) are Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC), Dr. Yvette Castell, and Director of the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), Dr. Marlene Tapper.
Persons seeking to engage the services of laboratories are urged to ensure that only entities that display their certificates get their business.
Making the call, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill, said when members of the public insist that labs are accredited, it also pushes those who are not accredited to get on board.
The Minister was addressing the recent accreditation ceremony of the Environmental Health Laboratory (EHL), held at the AC Mariott Hotel in New Kingston.
“If you do not insist that laboratories are accredited, you are pulling down our standards. So, insist that the labs you use are accredited to stand up to the tests that we must have to look after ourselves,” Senator Hill emphasised.
He pointed out that the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC), is one of four accreditation bodies worldwide recognised by the United States (US)-based Food and Drug Administration (FDA), adding that EHL now has global confidence.
“This means that EHL’s test results are now globally trusted, giving confidence to Jamaica, investors, trading partners, and visitors alike. That kind of confidence was built through our National Quality Infrastructure (NQI), a national system of standards measurements, testing certification, and registration that protects lives, strengthens industries, and opens access to global markets,” the Minister said.
“Accreditation drives exports. It drives productivity. It drives profitability. It secures our future in a global economy shaped by standards. We can make sure that what we eat, drink and use is of the highest quality,” he added.
The EHL’s mandate is to safeguard public health and the environment by providing accurate and reliable analyses of environmental samples. This includes testing air, water, soil, food, and other materials to identify and monitor contaminants.
The laboratory also supports various environmental health programmes, including air, food, water and soil surveillance.
JANAAC has been working to ensure that assessment entities, such as laboratories, certification bodies and other inspection authorities, are suitably accredited to conform to international standards.
Source: JIS
