QCC conducts over 10,000 emergency product checks

The products checked over the last two years ranged from food to pharmaceutical products, nutritional supplements and radiological materials. The emergency services lab results on products to concerned authorities enable them to maintain health and safety among the community, particularly in the case of food products in the market.
Samara bint Salem Al Menhali, Acting Director of the Technical Affairs Department at the Central Testing Laboratory, said the services were provided to both government agencies as well as private sector entities.  The laboratory receives   inspection requests through the emergency channel every day, seven days a week.
The emergency provision was governed by a specific protocol under which the Central Testing Laboratory provides services even beyond working hours as well as during holidays within a framework of documented work processes and mechanisms with customer agreement in place.
QCC’s Central Testing Laboratory plays an important and specific role in emergency and crisis response plans as a partner to many regulatory and other concerned authorities in the Emirate. Al-Menhali said the emergency testing services enabled public and private business partners respond to emerging risks and help verify the conformity of products across food and water to the approved health, safety and quality standards. The emergency services are activated within an hour of receiving the request.
She said the laboratory provides integrated technical reports to help quick action in case of emergency requests within a time frame ranging from 24-72 hours for food and water products, and a maximum of five days for other product categories. The Central Testing Laboratory also provides specialized consultancy support in assessing emerging risks and offer recommendations in such cases. 
Al Menhali said that as part of ensuring the effectiveness and continuity of the emergency services, the Sample Management Department of the laboratory in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain provides all relevant information required to customers. In addition to this, internal coordination between both the laboratories also guarantee work continuity within time.
The Central Testing Laboratory through its Abu Dhabi and Al Ain branches, provide a variety of services to different sectors across several areas such as safety and quality checks for food products, water and beverages, and environmental checks, apart from for cosmetics, medicines, medical devices, and building materials. The laboratory also serves its partners with scientific research services, consultations, specialized training services and issuance of conformity certificates.