Page:NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods - Chapter C.pdf/1

 C. by David L. Smith, CIH; Michele L. Bolyard, CIH; and Peter M. Eller, Ph.D., CIH

1. ROLE OF LABORATORY QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM

Analytical data are used to make a variety of decisions, i.e., to decide whether a particular chemical agent is present in a workplace atmosphere, whether a hazard to workers' health exists in that atmosphere, or whether a workroom atmosphere complies with applicable standards. Errors in such data can have a variety of costly effects. The consequences of erroneous data may lead to the wrong decision being made as to whether a non-compliance situation exists. If the analytical results are a part of a larger experiment, perhaps the wrong conclusion might be reached or the results might be uninterpretable. If the presence or absence of a particular agent is erroneously reported, a threat to workers' health may be allowed to continue. It is the role of a laboratory's quality assurance program to provide the necessary safeguards to minimize these occurrences and to provide a means of detecting errors when they do occur. There are many good texts and articles addressing the subject of laboratory quality control. The purpose of this chapter is to address some of the 1/15/98