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Regulations & Permits > Permits & certifications > Laboratory Accreditation > Laboratory quality assurance manual review checklist

Quality assurance manual guidance for environmental labs

All laboratories seeking environmental accreditation must provide a quality assurance manual for review and approval by our auditors These resources, including a handy checklist, can help you write or review a quality assurance manual for your lab. Keep in mind that not all points apply to every lab.

References for creating your QA manual

The Quality Assurance Manual section of the Procedure Manual gives tips and instructions for creating a Quality Assurance manual.

Model of a Quality Assurance Manual for a Small Wastewater Treatment Plant Laboratory gives an example QA Manual.

QA manual checklist

Use the checklist below to guide your review of your own manual. Your auditor assesses quality assurance manuals based on the following points, as applicable:

□ Item
□ Title page (larger labs)
□ Table of contents (larger labs)
□ Lab organization
 
  • organization chart (larger labs)
□ Managers identified
 
  • quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) responsibilities summarized
□ Designated Quality Assurance (QA) coordinator
 
  • if none, someone else designated as primary quality assurance person
□ QA person's responsibilities summarized
□ QA responsibilities of staff identified
□ Overall quality assurance/quality control policy statement
□ Policy establishing criteria for Data Quality Objectives (DQOs):
 
  • completeness
  • representativeness
  • defensibility
  • accuracy
□ Program for determining if DQOs met
 
  • corrective action when DQOs not met
□ QA/QC training policy documented
□ Procedures for sample management:
 
  • requesting analysis
  • receipt of sample
  • logging of sample
  • storage of sample
  • handling of sample
  • chain of custody
  • criteria for acceptance/rejection
□ Requirements for meeting:
 
  • container requirements
  • holding times
  • preservation requirements
□ List of routinely used methods
□ Standard operating procedures for in-house methods or modification of standardized methods
□ Any unique calibration (standardization) procedures documented
□ Guidelines established for:
 
  • blanks
  • check standards
  • duplicates
  • matrix Spikes
  • Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) or Standard Reference Materials (SRMs)
□ Procedures for use of control charts
□ Procedures for prep/storage of standards
□ Definitions documented or referenced for:
 
  • accuracy
  • precision
  • bias
  • other key QA/QC control terms
□ Equations given for important statistics such as:
 
  • Standard Deviation from "n" replicates
  • Standard Deviation by pooling "m" duplicate pairs
  • percent recovery from matrix spikes
□ Procedure for establishing Minimum Detection Limits (MDL)
 
  • MDLs established for applicable tests
  • relationship between of MDL and reporting limit (RL) explained
□ Procedures established for data:
 
  • recording
  • reduction
  • validation
  • entry
  • reporting
  • assessment (if lab responsibility)
  • retention
□ Requirement for system audits specified
 
  • both internal and external
  • by whom
□ Requirement for performance audits specified
 
  • by whom
  • at least one study per year
□ Requirements for other audits (larger labs)
 
  • management system audits
  • data quality audits
□ QA/QC reports periodically prepared
 
  • reviewed by responsible individual

Related links

Contact information

Rebecca Wood
Supervisor, Laboratory Accreditation Unit
rebecca.wood@ecy.wa.gov
360-742-7022