How detailed do calibration procedures need to be to meet ISO 9001:2000 requirements?

My location will sometime in the future go for ISO certification. Our instrument group is tring to become ISO complaint ahead of time. I/ve heard a lot of different opinions on documented calibration procedures neccessary to meet ISO requirements. To you need very detailed, to as little detail as possible. Can anyone offer any guidance on proper documented calibration procedures necessary to meet ISO requirements.
Thanks for your help.

 

Calibration Procedures need to be as detailed as your company requires. ISO 9001:2000 requires that you have your Instruments Calibrated and that you keep records of the Calibration.

The ISO people do not go into the detail of why you calibrate your Instruments only that you do!

Hope that helps.

 

I once particpated in an E/I shops trying to become ISO compliant before hand also. The auditors explained to us that there is a "paper trail" to all procedures. What's a paper trail? Well, if a tech needs to calibrate an instrument, that person needs to have the procedure manual out and in front of them every time they perform the calibration, whether they had done it 1000 times or never before. So...calibration procedures needed to be written so that a "green" tech could calibrate.

As mentioned before, you can really select the detail you need. We made "coverall" procedures, like Foxboro temp transmitter procedure...Bailey level transmitter, etc. Manufacturer and type of instrument. (Purchase of a Honeywell Loveland calibration system really helped too... circa 1995)

A key thing to ISO is even once you are certified, in the future, you must show improvement. With that in mind, don't shoot your self in the foot and make a perfect system right off the bat. Let your system grow with you as you fine tune it.