Courtesy fibre2fashion

Katubedda, Sri Lanka laboratory of Bureau Veritas, a leading testing, inspection and certification provider for consumer goods and healthcare industry, has got ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for testing medical/surgical face masks. This will help face mask buyers and suppliers worldwide to test medical masks, including full EU market entry scope, in this lab.

With market estimates putting face mask annual growth over 20 per cent every year, the need for additional trusted full service laboratories continues to grow. With this latest development, Sri Lanka is the first full service medical mask lab in Bureau Veritas’ network. In addition to this capability, Sri Lanka is also one of over ten Bureau Veritas laboratories worldwide which can test fashion masks against regulatory and performance requirements.

Newly accredited capability includes packages for the EU Market – EN 14683:2019 Type I / II and Type IIR with the accredited tests for bacterial filtration efficiency, differential pressure, microbial cleanliness, splash resistance, flammability, antimicrobial efficacy study, and shelf life study.

Niraj Singh, director, Softlines and Analytical – Asia (Global Technical Services) for Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, commented, “We are seeing increasing demands for a faster and more complete service from our clients, from both buyers and suppliers. I am therefore delighted that we have a comprehensive testing capability worldwide, with our specialist test centre in Sri Lanka, however, we also have full capability to deliver knowledge management, supplier selection and product approval. Product inspection, supplier audit, document review, regulatory awareness and ISO 13485 management system certification services are additionally available worldwide.”

This accreditation is the latest development in Bureau Veritas Sri Lanka’s rapid expansion and evolution. As well as a full range of analytical and safety/performance testing, inspection and audit services for apparel/textiles, cosmetics, packaging and healthcare; Bureau Veritas Sri Lanka can also carry out biodegradability analysis, environmental studies on air, water and soil; drinking and processed water quality testing as well as a full range of testing services for the food and agriculture industry.