An investigation of the attitudes of laboratory staff to the establishment of accredited laboratories in the Libyan chemical and petrochemical industries

Shihub, TA

Abstract

Accreditation of laboratories has been a subject of considerable interest because product
quality guarantee has become one of the prime factors to be considered in the present
time of highly competitive industrial activity. Accreditation is still a new issue for the
laboratories in Libya. These laboratories need to establish a new strategy on accreditation
focusing on the difficulties and barriers of implementation. The main aim of this research is
to identify the attitudes of laboratory staff towards factors related to the establishment of
accredited laboratories' in the Libyan Chemical and Petrochemical Industries.
A total of 400 questionnaires were sent to laboratories within the Libyan chemicals and
petrochemicals industries sector. 350 usable questionnaires out of the 400 were returned,
thus giving a response rate of 87.50/0.
The analysis led to the development of critical success factors to establish laboratories'
accreditation by comprising 72 factors into 28 factors arranged in six categories: technical,
management, culture, communication, quality and training, which affects laboratories'
accreditation.
This research identifies that the following are considered the main factors that affect the
establishment of accreditation: Root causes of problems, Sampling procedure, Calibration
of reference standards, Quality of equipment and resources, time and resources to do the
job, Physical conditions at work, Quality of technical records, Quality is more important
than volume of sales, Uncertainty of measurements, Security of records ,Happy to work in
the laboratory, Periodic internal audits, Reports include information requested by client,
Regular and effectiveness of meetings, Commitment to excellent customer services and
continuous quality improvement, Loyalty and respect towards employees, Communication
process, training, Staff involvement in the improvement process and, Clarity of job
description
The findings from this study wi II provide scholars, consultants and managers with
valuable information on how to deal with laboratories accreditation issues.

Citation

Shihub, T. An investigation of the attitudes of laboratory staff to the establishment of accredited laboratories in the Libyan chemical and petrochemical industries. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jul 21, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 21, 2011
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2009