European Turfgrass Laboratories (ETL) gain accreditation

An A2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation) assessor conducted an on-site visit to ETL's facility in Stirling, Scotland, in mid-March to audit the laboratory's quality system, staff, and testing procedures.

ETL have been accredited since 1997 and currently remain 1 of only 10 laboratories in the world accredited to the putting green materials program. The team have demonstrated on-going competency in testing materials, and have a wealth of experience in analysing samples originating from all over the world.

Accreditation is a valuable and worthwhile process, aimed at verifying that a laboratory is proficient in their specialised field. The process is a very stringent one; ETL must participate in a proficiency testing program where three times a year, all the accredited laboratories are given the same rootzone, peat, and gravel samples to test. The data is statistically analysed and any outlying results must be addressed. All documentation, calibration, and operating procedures are kept up-to-date and monitored. Reference samples run alongside real samples, which helps to ensure that all equipment is performing adequately.

ETL's clients are located all over the world, but the value of the accreditation means the same to everyone; they have peace of mind knowing that their results are accurate, the laboratory is completely independent, and the turnaround time is as quick as the test methods allow.