Quality Control/Quality Assurance
in Environmental Laboratories
12.5 Contact Hours (water or wastewater)
Auditing the Environmental Laboratory
"Quality Control/Quality Assurance: Meeting the Challenge of Accreditation Standards" is a two-day, comprehensive overview of quality control and quality assurance in laboratories. An effective quality assurance program helps to ensure that quality control procedures are being properly implemented throughout the analytical process. Developing and implementing a sound quality assurance program can be a daunting task, but it is essential to the generation of defensible data. This course is designed to help municipal and commercial laboratories prepare for accreditation or inspections, as well as to set a precedent for quality lab procedures.
Who Should Attend
This course is targeted to the needs of laboratory supervisors, managers, analysts, and operators who perform laboratory or field measurements in municipal wastewater treatment plants and commercial laboratories. Persons responsible for data review and reporting – plant superintendents, pretreatment coordinators, consultants, and industrial environmental engineers – will also benefit from this course.
Course Description
This course covers a range of QC/QA areas: from basic concepts to detailed presentations on accuracy, precision, method detection limits, control charts, and method validation. The course is valuable for analysts of all experience levels, as well as for plant operators and those involved with QC/QA activities. Participants will learn how to design and implement a quality system consistent with established guidelines, such as those put forth by NELAC and other state-mandated programs. Also, participants will gain a basic understanding of the main elements required in accreditation programs, what's expected of laboratories, and how to prepare for an agency inspection.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:
•Define the basic elements of QC/QA programs.
•Distinguish between accuracy and precision.
•Avoid the use of expired reagents and standards.
•Ensure proper preparation of QC samples and reagents.
•Implement systems to ease the collection of QC data.
•Determine detection limits.
•Identify the components of Standard Operating Procedures.
•Prepare a laboratory to meet ISO 17025 accreditation requirements.
•Use data tracking programs for reagent tracing, information management, and QC requirements.
Course Agenda
DAY 1
8:30 a.m. |
Registration |
8:45 a.m. |
Introductions and Overview |
9:15 a.m. |
NELAP and Certification Issues |
9:30 a.m. |
Terminology |
10:00 a.m. |
Sample Handling |
10:10 a.m. |
Document Control |
10:30 p.m. |
BREAK |
10:40 a.m. |
Accuracy and Precision/Outlier Tests Part 1 |
Noon |
LUNCH |
1:00 p.m. |
Accuracy and Precision Part 2 |
|
|
2:50 p.m. |
BREAK |
3:00 p.m. |
Methodology |
3:20p.m. |
Standard Operating Procedures |
3:45 p.m. |
Log Books |
4:30 p.m. |
Adjourn |
DAY 2
8:30 a.m. |
Problem Sets |
9:45 a.m. |
Reagents |
10:35 a.m. |
BREAK |
10:45 a.m. |
Method Detection Limits |
11:30 a.m. |
Data Handling |
Noon |
LUNCH |
1:00 p.m. |
Training |
1:30 p.m. |
Calibration and Maintenance |
2:00 p.m. |
Corrective Action |
2:15 p.m. |
Ethics |
|
|
2:30 p.m. |
BREAK |
2:45 p.m. |
The Role of PT samples in a QA Program |
3:00 p.m. |
Course Examination |
|
|
4:00 p.m. |
Adjourn |
Food and materials included in registration fee.
Your Partner in Success
Alloway is a full-service commercial environmental testing laboratory located in Lima, Marion, and Mansfield, Ohio. Alloway provides analytical and field services to municipalities, industries, consultants, and other commercial laboratories. In addition, Alloway offers software, seminars, laboratory development, and training. With more than 25 years of experience, Alloway is a total laboratory solution and your resource for defensible data.
|
