Proficiency Testing External Links
Overview
Our proficiency testing staff are involved in a number of
external committees and working groups which have a remit to
promote analytical quality through proficiency testing and by other
means. These include:
Eurachem PT working group
The EURACHEM Proficiency Testing Working Group
(PTWG) provides a forum within the European chemical measurement
community for pursuing excellence in the development and
implementation of proficiency testing. The terms of reference
include
This working group, in association with others, has assisted in
the production of the following Guide:
Selection, Use and Interpretation of Proficiency Testing (PT)
Schemes by Laboratories (2nd edition, 2011)
This document represents the current
state-of-the-art with respect to the selection and use of
proficiency testing schemes, and the interpretation of results and
evaluations given in proficiency testing schemes. Although this is
aimed primarily at staff in analytical laboratories, it is also
useful for customers of laboratories, assessors working for
accreditation bodies and other external users of PT scheme results.
This second edition, approved in 2011, has been prepared by the
EEE-PT Working Group (EA-Eurolab-Eurachem). EQALM (European
Organisation for External Quality Assurance Programmes in
Laboratory Medicine) as an affiliate member was also involved in
this revision
Eurachem has published a range of guides on quality and
accreditation issues in analytical measurement.
Access the guides
Analytical Methods Committee, Royal Society of Chemistry
The Analytical Methods Committee (AMC) is the
Committee of the Analytical Division Council that handles matters
of technical importance to the members of the RSC Analytical
Division and the analytical science community in general. The broad
aim of the AMC is to participate in national and international
efforts to establish a comprehensive framework for appropriate
quality in chemical measurement, and to keep the analytical science
community informed of developments. It achieves this aim through
the activities of its expert sub-committees as well as the parent
Committee, which fulfil the following functions:
-
development, revision and promulgation of validated,
standardised and official methods of analysis
-
development and establishment of suitable performance criteria
for methods and instruments
-
use and development of appropriate statistical methods
-
identification and promulgation of best analytical practice,
including aspects relating to sampling, equipment, instrumentation
and materials
-
generation of validated compositional data of natural products
for interpretative purposes.
AMC has produced a number of technical briefs designed to bring
up-to-date technical information on measurement science to members
of the RSC Analytical Division and the wider analytical community.
These can be accessed here. A number of these briefs
provide advice on various aspects of internal quality control and
proficiency testing.
GESTIS Analytical Method Database
A useful analytical method information source is the GESTIS database. This database contains
a list of validated analytical procedures described as suitable for
the analysis of chemical agents in air and draws upon methods
developed both at an international (ISO) and at a national
level (e.g. methods developed in France (INRS), Germany
(IFA), UK (HSL) and the USA (NIOSH/OSHA).
Further information
If you require any further information about our PT schemes,
please email: proficiency.testing@hse.gov.uk
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