Laboratory Assessor

Imagine you are sitting at a bench in a commercial water quality testing laboratory, watching carefully as a technician performs a routine test to measure the total suspended solids in a water sample. You are a laboratory assessor for an environmental certification board and you are watching the process to make certain proper procedures are being followed and all instruments and equipment are functioning correctly. This lab performs water quality monitoring for private industries and businesses in the area and has applied for international environmental certification. Before certification can be granted, you must assess the lab to ensure it complies with international standards.

As a laboratory assessor, you perform all kinds of scheduled inspections to monitor labs and ensure they are meeting requirements. You began your assessment two days ago by examining the lab's human resources structure. The manager provided you with an organizational chart, a list of employees, and a description of all the job duties and responsibilities in the laboratory. You also reviewed training records and performance evaluations for all personnel. It is important for you to determine if all laboratory staff and management are sufficiently qualified and properly trained to perform their duties.

Yesterday you reviewed the lab's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), written instructions telling technicians how to perform each test. You also checked Quality Control and Quality Assurance procedures, as well as calibration and maintenance records for all the lab's equipment.

Now you've moved on to the lab's performance. You've given several technicians samples to test and will watch closely while they perform the analyses to make sure procedures are followed. You also know the content of these samples, so you can evaluate the technician's accuracy by comparing their results to the actual concentrations.

Once you are finished the inspection, you'll use your notes to prepare an evaluation report detailing areas that meet expectations, as well as areas that need to improve in order to meet certification requirements.