Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 252 - Department of Environmental Quality › Chapter 307 - TNI Laboratory Accreditation › Subchapter 1 - Introduction › Section 252:307-1-3 - Definitions

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
In addition to the definitions contained in Title 27A of the
				  Oklahoma Statutes, OAC 252:4 (Department of Environmental Quality Rules of
				  Practice and Procedure) and the TNI Standard, the following words or terms,
				  when used in this Chapter, shall have the following meaning unless the context
				  clearly indicates otherwise. Any technical term not defined shall be defined by
				  its generally accepted scientific meaning or its standard dictionary meaning.
"Acceptable results"
, as defined in 27A O.S.
				  §
									2-4-101,
means a result within limits determined on the basis of statistical
				  procedures as prescribed by DEQ.
"Accreditation"
or
"accredited"
means the process by which the DEQ evaluates an environmental laboratory's
				  quality systems, staff, facilities, equipment, test methods, records and
				  reports against the requirements of this Chapter. Laboratories determined to
				  meet the qualifications and standards of this Chapter are thereby accredited.
				  The term certification, as used in 27A O.S. §2-4-101, is synonymous with
				  the term accreditation.
"Accreditation Body"
means a governmental agency
				  that holds a current Certificate of Recognition from TNI to administer a
				  laboratory accreditation program.
"Analyte"
means the component, compound, element
				  or isotope to be identified or quantified using a test or analysis.
"Applicant"
means the owner of a laboratory, or
				  a representative authorized by the owner to act on the owner's behalf, seeking
				  accreditation from the DEQ.
"Applicant laboratory"
means the laboratory and
				  its owner or authorized representative for which an application for
				  accreditation has been filed with the DEQ.
"Approved method"
means an analytical test
				  method which has been required by law or is recognized by the DEQ as acceptable
				  for a specific usage.
"Assessment"
means the evaluation process used
				  to measure or establish the performance, effectiveness, and conformance of a
				  laboratory to the standards and requirements of this Chapter. The term
				  "Evaluation" as used in 27A O.S. § 2-4-101, is synonymous with the term
				  "Assessment".
"Basic environmental laboratory"
means a
				  laboratory that is limited to the following analytes: five day biochemical
				  oxygen demand, carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand,
				  total organic carbon (TOC), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate-nitrite
				  nitrogen, organic nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, total dissolved solids
				  (filterable residue), total suspended solids (non-filterable residue), volatile
				  residue, total phosphorous, orthophosphate phosphorus (reactive phosphorus),
				  chloride, fluoride, oil and grease, sulfate, pH, specific conductance,
				  dissolved oxygen, turbidity, total residual chlorine, hardness, alkalinity,
				  color, fecal coliform, Escherichia coli, total coliform, cyanide, phenolics,
				  copper, zinc, iron, sulfide, chromium, and hexavalent chromium.
"Blind audit"
means a process whereby the DEQ or
				  any other designated agent submits proficiency testing samples to an accredited
				  laboratory in a manner such that the laboratory is not aware of the process.
"Category"
means a set of Fields of
				  Accreditation subject to a single fee.
"Certificate"
or
"Certificate of
				  Accreditation"
is a document issued by DEQ acknowledging that an
				  environmental laboratory has met standards for accreditation, and identifying
				  those Fields of Accreditation for which the laboratory is accredited.
"Critical nonconformity"
or
"critical
				  finding"
means a conclusion of noncompliance that would require an
				  immediate corrective action or an immediate stop to testing.
"Corrective Action Plan"
or
"Corrective
				  Action Report"
is a written plan of action, including a schedule for
				  implementation, to correct deficiencies or findings identified in the DEQ or
				  DEQ-approved agent's assessment report, including a time line for
				  implementation; or to eliminate the causes of an existing nonconformity, defect
				  or other undesirable situation in order to prevent its recurrence.
"DEQ"
means the Oklahoma Department of
				  Environmental Quality. For purposes of certifications issued and enforcement
				  matters arising prior to July 1, 1993, "DEQ" also means predecessor agencies of
				  the DEQ which had jurisdiction over environmental water quality laboratories on
				  June 30, 1993.
"Field of Accreditation (FoA)"
means those
				  category, matrix, technology/method, and analyte combinations for which DEQ
				  offers accreditation.
"Finding"
means a conclusion of noncompliance or
				  nonconformity of the evaluation process, referenced to the TNI Standard and
				  supported by objective evidence.
"Initial accreditation"
means a first-time
				  accreditation granted to a laboratory not previously accredited by the DEQ.
"Interim accreditation"
means an out-of-time
				  filing for an accreditation status issued to a DEQ accredited laboratory for a
				  Field of Accreditation or a category not currently accredited by the DEQ, or
				  where appropriate, temporary accreditation status for a laboratory that has met
				  all accreditation criteria except for a pending on-site assessment which has
				  been delayed for reasons beyond the control of the laboratory.
"Laboratory"
, as defined in 27A O.S. §
				  2-4-101
, means a facility that performs analyses to determine the
				  chemical, physical or biological properties of air, water, solid waste,
				  hazardous waste, wastewater or soil or subsoil materials or performs any other
				  analyses related to environmental quality evaluations.
"Laboratory"
				  includes mobile laboratories.
"Laboratory waste"
means by-products of the
				  analytical process, residues of samples analyzed, discarded reagents or
				  standards and any materials contaminated by any of these.
"Matrix"
means the substrate of a test sample,
				  e.g., drinking water, wastewater, other aqueous, or solid.
"Mobile laboratory"
means a mobile facility that
				  performs analyses in a self-contained environment with professional analytical
				  instrumentation, excluding field testing of those analytes that require
				  immediate measurement on site (conductivity, residual chlorine, pH, dissolved
				  oxygen, temperature).
"Nonconformity"
means a conclusion of
				  noncompliance of the evaluation process, referenced to the TNI Standard and
				  supported by objective evidence. Also may be considered a Finding.
"Owner"
means the sole proprietor of an
				  individually owned laboratory, the controlling or managing partner of a
				  laboratory held by a partnership, the major stockholders of a corporate owned
				  laboratory, or a municipality or other local government entity which owns or
				  operates a laboratory.
"Parameter"
is synonymous with "analyte".
"Primary accreditation"
is authorization issued
				  to an Oklahoma laboratory following an assessment of the laboratory's total
				  quality system, on-site assessment, and proficiency testing for fields of
				  accreditation.
"Primary accreditation body" (Primary AB)
means
				  the accreditation body responsible for assessing a laboratory's total quality
				  system, on-site assessment, and proficiency testing (PT) performance tracking
				  for fields of accreditation.
"Proficiency testing (PT) sample"
means a sample
				  submitted to a laboratory by the DEQ or other designated agent for the purpose
				  of assessing the ability of the laboratory to correctly analyze samples using
				  an approved method.
"Program"
means the DEQ laboratory accreditation
				  program.
"Quality manual"
means a document stating the
				  management policies, objectives, principles, organizational structure and
				  authority, responsibilities, accountability, and implementation of the
				  laboratory to ensure the quality of its product and the utility of its product
				  to its users. The Quality Manual will ensure the generation of data that are
				  scientifically valid, defensible and of known and acceptable limits of
				  precision and accuracy.
"Quality system"
means a structured and
				  documented management system describing the policies, objective, principles,
				  organizational authority, responsibilities, accountability, and implementation
				  plan of a laboratory for ensuring quality in its work processes, products and
				  services. The quality system provides the framework for planning, implementing,
				  and assessing work performed by the laboratory and for carrying out required
				  quality assurance and quality control activities.
"Secondary accreditation"
is authorization
				  issued to a laboratory based on recognition and review of an existing primary
				  accreditation for the same fields of accreditation.
"Secondary accreditation body" (Secondary AB)
means an accreditation body that grants laboratory accreditation for a field of
				  accreditation based on recognition of accreditation from a Primary
				  Accreditation Body for the same fields of accreditation.
"Standard operating procedures" (SOPs)
means a
				  written document approved by a laboratory director that details the method for
				  an operation, analysis, or action, with thoroughly prescribed techniques and
				  steps. SOPs include the methods for performing certain routine or repetitive
				  tasks.
"Synthetic organic chemicals" (SOCs)
are
				  man-made organic chemicals that are less volatile than volatile organic
				  compounds. SOCs are used as pesticides, defoliants, fuel additives and as
				  ingredients for other organic compounds.
"The NELAC Institute" (TNI)
means an
				  organization of federal and state agencies whose purpose is to foster the
				  generation of environmental data of known and documented quality through an
				  open, inclusive, and transparent process that is responsive to the needs of the
				  environmental laboratory community. The TNI Consensus Standards Development
				  Program (CSDP) establishes compliance standards that reflect the best
				  professional practices in the environmental laboratory industry. The TNI
				  National Environmental Laboratories Accreditation Program (NELAP) implements
				  TNI's consensus standards through state agencies recognized by TNI as
				  Accreditation Bodies. DEQ is the TNI Accreditation Body in the State of
				  Oklahoma.
"TNI Standard"
means the performance standard
				  for analytical testing of environmental samples and the laboratory
				  accreditation process adopted by TNI, current to the date incorporated by
				  reference in this Chapter.