Glossary · Verification and validation
Measurement traceability
Also known as: metrological traceability
In measurement and verification, measurement traceability is an unbroken, documented chain of calibrations linking a measurement result to recognized references. Each link in the chain contributes to the stated measurement uncertainty.
- Verification
- Data and interfaces
In one sentence
Measurement traceability links a result through documented calibrations to recognized references, so that safety measurements can be trusted.
Example
The stopping time meter used on a press brake is calibrated by an accredited laboratory whose standards trace to the national metrology institute, and the test report cites the certificate number.
How it applies
- Verification: Measured stopping times feed directly into safety distance calculations. Without measurement traceability, the result cannot be defended in an audit.
- Standards: ISO/IEC 17025 requires laboratories to establish metrological traceability of their results. Accreditation of the calibration provider is the usual evidence.
- Technical documentation: Test reports should name the instrument, the certificate, its validity and the measurement uncertainty where relevant.
- Evidence: Store calibration certificates as controlled records linked to the tests that used the instrument. That link lets you find affected results if an instrument later proves faulty.
Measurement traceability vs. traceability
Measurement traceability is a metrology concept: a chain of calibrations to references. Traceability in systems engineering is the ability to follow links between requirements, hazards, tests and documents. A calibration certificate can be one item in that wider chain.