The criteria set out in this standard are those which should be applied by accreditation bodies in accrediting laboratories, by public authorities when designating laboratories for regulatory purposes and by any other organizations assessing laboratories. The language of this standard is geared to accreditation but the content is equally applicable to the assessment of laboratories, outside the formal structure of an accreditation system. The criteria are, above all, written to be considered as general criteria covering all fields of testing including calibration. This implies that the set of criteria may have to be supplemented when certain industrial or other sectors (e.g. health and safety) make use of it.