Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 33 - ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY › Part I - Office of the Secretary › Subpart 3 - Laboratory Accreditation › Chapter 47 - Louisiana Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (LELAP) State Accreditation Requirements › Section I-4711 - Proficiency Testing Participation

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. All accredited environmental laboratories
				  or laboratories seeking accreditation must participate in department-approved
				  proficiency testing programs relevant to their scope of accreditation, except
				  when determined by the department that an appropriate proficiency test is not
				  accessible or readily available. The department may provide appropriate
				  commercial test samples at the applicant's expense whenever
				  necessary.
B. If proficiency test
				  samples are not available for particular test categories, the laboratory
				  requesting accreditation will submit an "analytical data package." An
				  "analytical data package" shall include all relevant analytical methodology,
				  technical information, and quality assurance results concerning a particular
				  type of analysis for which there is no current proficiency testing
				  program.
C. Department-approved
				  proficiency tests shall be used to provide suitable evidence of laboratory
				  proficiency.
D. Proficiency testing
				  studies will be available at a minimum of every six months. Laboratories shall
				  participate in two proficiency test studies per year for each field of testing.
				  Failure to meet the minimum semiannual schedule shall be regarded as a failed
				  proficiency test study. Laboratories may set up round robin testing programs
				  under the department's supervision in order to satisfy this requirement, using
				  splits where applicable.
E.
				  Laboratories shall satisfactorily complete two proficiency test studies offered
				  for each test category accredited within the most recent three proficiency test
				  studies attempted. A year shall be considered as the 12-month period from the
				  first day of July until the last day of June. Results shall be considered
				  satisfactory when they are within the acceptable limits established by the
				  testing agency or the department.
F. Each participating laboratory shall
				  authorize the proficiency test provider to release the results of the
				  proficiency evaluation (PE) test to the Office of Environmental Assessment at
				  the same time that they are submitted to the laboratory. Every laboratory that
				  receives test results that are "unacceptable" for a specific analyte must
				  investigate and identify likely causes for these results, resolve any problems,
				  and report such activity to the Office of Environmental Assessment, along with
				  the submittal of corrective action proficiency sample test results. The
				  laboratory shall report only the analytes for which corrective action was
				  required.
G. In cases of on-site
				  proficiency testing, the department shall inform the laboratory of the results
				  of the evaluation. The department may require the laboratory to analyze
				  additional proficiency samples if the results of such test are
				  "unacceptable."
H. Results of
				  proficiency testing during the preceding 12 months shall be made available by
				  the laboratory, upon request, to any person utilizing or requesting the
				  services of the laboratory.
I.
				  Accredited laboratories that desire to extend the range of tests or analyses
				  offered shall submit a written request with the appropriate fees, shall comply
				  with the requirements of these regulations, and shall demonstrate satisfactory
				  results in at least one round of proficiency testing samples prior to receiving
				  accreditation.
J. Laboratories
				  shall bear the cost of any subscription(s) to a proficiency testing program
				  required by the department for compliance purposes.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
					 Promulgated in accordance with
					 R.S.
					 30:2011.