QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL TESTING AND VALVE PERFORMANCE IN THE OIL AND GAS SECTOR: ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH ISO/IEC 17025 IN GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Abstract

This study addresses the problem that valve qualification decisions weaken when mechanical testing laboratories implement ISO/IEC 17025 unevenly, reducing confidence in test evidence. The purpose was to quantify ISO/IEC 17025 compliance maturity and test which compliance mechanisms predict valve performance assurance (VPA). A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was administered to a purposive sample of 214 professionals in an enterprise oil and gas testing case. The independent construct was ISO/IEC 17025 compliance, measured as D1 competence and authorization, D2 calibration and traceability, D3 method validation and SOP adherence, D4 internal audits and corrective actions, and D5 uncertainty and decision rules; the dependent construct was a composite VPA index. Analysis used descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression. Compliance maturity (CI) was moderately high (M = 3.96/5) and VPA was moderately high (M = 3.88/5), with excellent reliability (α = 0.92 and α = 0.91). Overall compliance correlated strongly with VPA (r = 0.71, p < .001), and all dimensions were significant (r = 0.49 to 0.66, p < .001). The regression model explained 58% of VPA variance (R² = 0.58; F(5, 208) = 57.40, p < .001); D3 was the strongest predictor (β = 0.31, p < .001), followed by D1 (β = 0.24, p < .001) and D2 (β = 0.19, p = .001), while D4 and D5 showed smaller effects (p ≤ .050). Implications are to prioritize method control and SOP discipline, strengthen competency authorization and traceability, and improve audit closure and uncertainty-based decision rules for integrity decisions.