Maintenance of on-premise test equipment for high quality tests

Abstract

The use of equipment in areas where flammable substances may be released requires explosion protection for them. Explosion protection must be confirmed in the certification process, which in addition to assessment also requires testing. The tests to which equipment must be subjected to confirm explosion protection are regulated by specific standards, depending on the type of protection adopted. This paper focuses on the issues involved in ensuring the quality of test results for low current equipment. For the quality assurance of test results the required aspects are: proficiency testing, use of certified reference materials, repetition of tests using the same methods, retesting of retained items, correlation of test results for different characteristics of a product and control chart where applicable. Another important aspect is the conditions of use and operating condition of the equipment. Thus, maintenance, periodic inspection and interim checks of laboratory equipment are an essential part of ensuring the quality of results. An important conclusion of the work is that the important aspect for quality assurance of test results is proficiency testing, which confirms not only the suitability of the equipment used but also the conformity of the test procedures.