develop consensus standards for use by TNI's programs. This group has a support role in assisting other programs with activities such as guidance and standards interpretation.
fosters the generation of data of known and documented quality is through the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, or NELAP. The purpose of this program is to establish and implement a program for the accreditation of environmental laboratories.
is to establish and maintain a national PT program to support TNI’s National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, and other activities.
Field Activities Program (NEFAP) Executive Committee is to establish and implement an accreditation program for field sampling and measurement organizations (FSMOs).
Audit Sample Program is to develop consensus standards for the manufacture and analysis of audit samples for source emission testing.
on a variety of topics of interest to the environmental measurement community. TNI also hosts two regularly scheduled meetings per year, typically in January and August. Both are a week long and involve open meetings of TNI committees as well as training courses and other special sessions.Standard Interpretation
Standard: 2003 NELAC
Section: 5.5.4.1.1
Link to relevant standard
REQUEST:
Are SOPs required for procedures not performed (e.g., "legal coc" 5.5.8.3.1 f) says "if required"; or subcontracting)
TNI FINAL RESPONSE:
(Quality Systems Expert Committee/NELAP Board, 10-27-08)
SOPs are not required for activities that the laboratory is not required to perform. The converse is obviously true, in that you must have an SOP if you perform, or are required to perform, these activities. The first paragraph of 5.5.4.1.1 states that SOPs must "accurately reflect all phases of current laboratory activities". Where an activity is not performed, such as legal Chain of Custody, the laboratory should not be required to have an SOP for what it doesn’t do. Compliance could be demonstrated if the lab's Quality Manual states 'We do not perform legal CoC, and will refuse any samples requiring legal CoC', although this is not mandatory.