Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 33 - ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY › Part I - Office of the Secretary › Subpart 3 - Laboratory Accreditation › Chapter 45 - Policy and Intent › Section I-4503 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. When used in
				  these rules and regulations, the following words and phrases shall have the
				  meanings ascribed to them below.
Accreditation
- the formal recognition by
					 the department of a laboratory's competence wherein specific tests or types of
					 tests can be accurately and successfully performed in compliance with all
					 minimum requirements set forth in these regulations.
Annual Renewal Date
- July 1.
Applicant
- the laboratory requesting
					 accreditation.
Commercial Laboratory
- any laboratory,
					 wherever located, that performs analyses or tests for third parties for a fee
					 or other compensation and provides chemical analyses, analytical results, or
					 other test data to the department, by contract or agreement, and the data is:
					 submitted on behalf of any facility, as defined in
					 R.S.
					 30:2004; or required as a part of any permit
					 application; or required by order of the department; or required to be included
					 on any monitoring reports submitted to the department; or otherwise required by
					 department regulations. The term
commercial laboratory
does
					 not include laboratories accredited by the Louisiana Department of Health and
					 Hospitals in accordance with
					 R.S.
					 49:1001, et seq.
Corrective Action Proficiency Test
					 Sample
- a proficiency test sample of known composition provided by an
					 external source (e.g., EPA) that is used to evaluate lab performance after
					 completion of required corrective action(s) of a failed proficiency evaluation
					 test round.
Department
- the Louisiana Department of
					 Environmental Quality.
Department Accreditation Program
- a
					 program instituted by the department by which a laboratory that generates data
					 for submittal to any area of the department may be deemed an accredited
					 laboratory producing acceptable data, based upon the accuracy and reliability
					 of the generated data, the use of department-approved methodology for the
					 generation of the data, and the utilization of an acceptable quality
					 control/quality assurance program to document the quality of the data
					 produced.
Department-Approved Testing Methods
- the
					 laboratory and field procedures that have been approved by the department.
					 These include all EPA-recognized methods, as well as those deemed equivalent by
					 the department, that are adopted from existing standards and regulations or
					 developed for specific fields of testing, specific testing technologies, or
					 specific types of tests. This refers to the methods cited in the 40 CFR and
					 subsequent changes published in the
Federal Register
from such
					 sources as U.S. EPA,
Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and
					 Wastewater,
ASTM, NIOSH, SW-846,
American Public Health
					 Association for Microbiological Methods,
USGS, AOAC, and alternate
					 test procedures approved for use.
Discreditation
- the revocation by the
					 department of the formal recognition of the laboratory's accredited status
					 because of a violation of LAC 33:I.5705.F.
EPA
- the United States Environmental
					 Protection Agency.
EPA-Accepted Methods
- the methods cited
					 in the 40 CFR and subsequent changes published in the
Federal
					 Register
; from such sources as EPA,
Standard Methods for the
					 Examination of Water and Wastewater
, ASTM, NIOSH, SW846,
American Public Health Association for Microbiological
					 Methods
, USGS, AOAC, and alternate test procedures approved for
					 nationwide use, as well as any method approved by the department.
Field of Testing
-Repealed.
Field Test
- any activity or operation
					 conducted on-site resulting in the measurement of a specific parameter. Field
					 tests are generally conducted at or near the site of sampling and include soil
					 classification, pH, temperature, flow rate, fugitive emissions monitoring of
					 valves, pumps, flanges, etc.
Interim Status
- a status that exists in
					 the accreditation process wherein all application requirements have been met by
					 the laboratory, but formal accreditation status has not been granted by the
					 department. Interim status is granted on a case-by-case basis at the discretion
					 of the department and shall not exceed one year in length.
Laboratory
- any facility, whether
					 fixed-based, mobile, or field, that analyzes environmental samples and that
					 seeks accreditation by the department.
Laboratory Representative
- the laboratory
					 employee who is designated as the contact person responsible for the
					 information provided in the application and for ensuring compliance with the
					 requirements for accreditation.
Matrix (Matrices)
-the substrate of a test
					 sample that includes air emissions, nonpotable water, solid and chemical
					 materials, and biological tissue.
Mobile Laboratory
- any facility that
					 analyzes environmental samples and that seeks accreditation by the department
					 that is capable of moving or being moved from one site to another.
NIST
- National Institute of Standards and
					 Technology.
NRC
- Nuclear Regulatory
					 Commission.
Primary Accrediting Authority
- for the
					 purpose of NELAP Accreditation, the Louisiana Department of Environmental
					 Quality, with the exception of those laboratory analyses accredited under the
					 regulatory and statutory authority of the Louisiana Department of Health and
					 Hospitals.
Proficiency Evaluation Test Sample (PE)
-
					 a sample of known composition (unknown to laboratory) provided by an external
					 source (e.g., EPA) that is used to evaluate lab performance.
Reaccreditation
- the reinstatement of a
					 fully accredited status by the department, thereby signifying that all
					 violations of LAC 33:I.5705.F that initiated the discreditation action have
					 been corrected and that the laboratory is deemed in compliance with
					 requirements of these regulations.
Reciprocity
- a method of obtaining
					 accreditation, whereby the applicant laboratory provides documentation that
					 demonstrates that its current certification or accreditation is no less
					 stringent than required by these regulations. All fees associated with
					 accreditation in the state of Louisiana shall be applicable. Laboratories
					 located within the state of Louisiana shall be required to apply for a
					 certification and shall not be eligible for reciprocity.
Round Robin Testing
- a method of
					 proficiency testing, whereby a blind sample is split and sent to laboratories
					 for analysis from the department or its representative. Laboratories
					 participating in round robin testing shall not pass test samples from one
					 laboratory to another. This form of testing shall be limited to use where
					 applicable.
Small Laboratory
- a laboratory consisting
					 of 10 or fewer people who influence the quality of data from sample collection
					 through report generation.
Suspension
- a temporary removal by the
					 department of the accredited status, in part or whole, of a laboratory because
					 of an infraction(s) of LAC 33:I.5705.F until such time that the infraction(s)
					 is satisfactorily corrected and the laboratory is returned to a fully
					 accredited status or the infraction(s) is not corrected and the laboratory is
					 discredited.
Test Category
- any one of the 11
					 categories listed in LAC 33:I.4705.B in which a laboratory may request
					 department accreditation for a specific test or analysis.
Traceable Material
- any material whose
					 true value or true measurement can be related to a standard reference, usually
					 national or international, all having stated uncertainties (e.g., NIST
					 traceable thermometers, standards, reagents, etc.).
Variance
- any deviation from a
					 department-approved method that has the potential for affecting the analytical
					 results generated from a test procedure.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
					 Promulgated in accordance with
					 R.S.
					 30:2011.