Virginia Administrative Code

A. Once the certification program has been established, laboratory certification shall be required before any environmental analyses performed by a noncommercial environmental laboratory may be used for the purposes of the Virginia Air Pollution Control Law, the Virginia Waste Ma…

A. Laboratory manager - general. 1. Each environmental laboratory shall designate a person to be responsible for the general oversight of the operation of the laboratory in accordance with this chapter, including the day-to-day functioning and administration of the laboratory, th…

A. The laboratory shall have a quality assurance officer who shall be responsible for the quality system and its implementation. Where staffing is limited, the quality assurance officer may also be the laboratory manager. The quality assurance officer may be employed on a part-ti…

A. The laboratory shall have sufficient personnel, having the necessary education, training, technical knowledge and experience for their assigned functions. B. The laboratory manager shall ensure that the training of the laboratory personnel is kept up to date. C. Laboratory per…

When a laboratory manager will be absent for a period exceeding 15 consecutive calendar days, the laboratory shall designate a qualified replacement to perform the manager's function.Statutory Authority§ 2.2-1105 of the Code of Virginia.

A. This chapter applies to any owner of a noncommercial environmental laboratory. B. Any environmental laboratory owned by an agency of the federal government may be certified as follows: 1. By DCLS to the standards set out in this chapter; or 2. By a federal primary accreditatio…

A. Frequency. 1. A comprehensive on-site assessment shall be conducted of each laboratory as a condition for granting certification initially. 2. DCLS shall reassess each certified laboratory at least once every three years starting from the date of the previous assessment plus o…

A. DCLS may conduct, at its discretion, either announced or unannounced on-site assessments. B. Advance notice of an assessment shall not be necessary. C. To the maximum extent practical, DCLS, when necessary, shall work with the owner of an environmental laboratory to obtain gov…

Prior to the actual site visit, DCLS may request in writing from a laboratory those records required to be maintained by this chapter.Statutory Authority§ 2.2-1105 of the Code of Virginia.

DCLS shall assess the laboratory against the personnel and quality control standards in Article 1 (1VAC30-45-200 et seq.) and Article 4 (1VAC30-45-600 et seq.) of this part. The specific areas evaluated in an on-site assessment shall include but not be limited to: 1. Adequacy of …

A. Assessments at facilities owned or operated by federal agencies or contractors may require security clearances, appropriate badging, or a security briefing before the assessment begins. B. The laboratory shall notify DCLS in writing of any information that is controlled for na…

A. Arrival. Assessment personnel shall arrive at the laboratory during established working hours. The laboratory manager (or, if unavailable, the laboratory manager's designee) shall be located as soon as possible after the assessment personnel arrive on the premises. B. Admittan…

A. Records shall be reviewed by assessment personnel for accuracy, completeness and the use of proper methodology for each analyte and test method to be evaluated. B. Records required to be maintained pursuant to this chapter shall be examined as part of an assessment for certifi…

A. As an element of the assessment process, the assessment team shall evaluate an analysis regimen by requesting that the analyst normally conducting the procedure give a step-by-step description of exactly what is done and what equipment and supplies are needed to complete the r…

A. Assessment personnel shall meet with representatives of the laboratory following the assessment for a closing conference. B. During the closing conference, assessment personnel shall inform the laboratory of the preliminary findings and the basis for such findings. The laborat…

A. DCLS shall present an assessment report to the laboratory within 30 calendar days of the assessment. B. If there are deficiencies identified in the assessment report, the laboratory shall have 30 calendar days from the date of its receipt of the assessment report to provide a …

The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. "Acceptance criteria" means specified limits placed on characteristics of an item, process, or service defined in requirement documents. "Accu…

A. Checklists. The checklists used by assessment personnel during the assessment shall become a part of DCLS's file for the laboratory. B. Assessment report format. 1. The final assessment report shall contain a narrative description of the adequacy of the laboratory as it relate…

A. Noncommercial environmental laboratories shall be certified based on the general laboratory standards set out in Part II (1VAC30-45-200 et seq.) of this chapter and on the specific test methods or analysis, monitoring or measurement required by regulatory permit or other requi…

A. Required level of participation. 1. To be certified initially and to maintain certification, a laboratory shall participate in PT studies as specified in 1VAC30-45-520 B for the fields of certification (FoC) for which the laboratory seeks or wants to maintain certification. 2.…

A. The laboratory shall report the analytical results from its analysis of the PT study to the PT provider on or before the closing date of the study using the reporting format specified by the PT provider. B. The laboratory's management and all analysts shall ensure that all PT …

A. Result categories. 1. The criteria described in this section apply individually to each FoPT, as defined by the laboratory seeking to obtain or maintain certification in its certification request. These criteria apply only to the PT portion of the overall certification standar…

(Repealed.)