1. U.S. Department of Energy’s Consolidated Laboratory Auditing and Proficiency Testing Programs
George E. Detsis Manager, Analytical Services Program Office of Corporate Safety Analysis, HS-30
Presented before the 2009 Department of Defense
Environmental Monitoring and Data Quality Workshop
March 30 – April 3, 2009
San Antonio, Texas

2. Presentation Outline Mission Statement Auditing Background
Audit Checklists
Laboratory Audit Findings
Laboratory Audit Schedule FY09
Proficiency Testing Background
Proficiency Testing Accomplishments

3. Program Mission
To foster development of quality environmental data of known and documented value; thereby, improving the confidence level of decision-makers, enhancing public trust, and reducing inherit agency liabilities.

4. DOECAP Background Program Purpose: Program Implementation:
Elimination of audit redundancies
Standardization of audit methodology, policies and procedures
Communication of Lessons Learned
Reduction of overall Department risks and liabilities
Program Implementation:
Administrative funding by DOE-HSS Headquarters through the Analytical Services Program
Linked to Site and Contractor laboratory contractual agreements
Involves participation by all DOE line and field organizations
Auditors are primarily DOE contractors
Auditors are trained and qualified
Federal DOE staff supplement laboratory audit staff

5. Audit Findings Priority I Finding: Priority II Finding: Observation:
Key programmatic/systematic failure
Imminent threat to worker or public safety/health
Documented unlawful or unethical practices
Significant data quality failures
Failure to implement corrective actions/repeat deficiencies
Priority II Finding:
Nonconformance with internal requirements/procedures
Undocumented procedures or processes
Nonconformance with DOE requirements
Observation:
Isolated instance or minor deficiency
Opportunity for improvement

6. Audit Checklists DOECAP Laboratory Checklists
Module 1 - Quality Assurance Management Systems and General Laboratory Practices
Module 2 - Data Quality for Organic Analyses
Module 3 - Data Quality for Inorganic and Wet Chemistry Analyses
Module 4 - Data Quality for Radiochemistry Analyses
Module 5 - Laboratory Information Management Systems and Electronic Data Management
Module 6 - Hazardous and Radioactive Materials Management

7. Laboratory Findings by Audit Discipline

8. Findings and Observations/ Laboratory Over Past Nine Fiscal Years

9. Laboratory and Commercial Waste Vendor Contractual Agreements
Projected FY09 DOECAP Audited Facilities Utilized by Each DOE Site

10. Common Laboratory Findings
QA Management Systems and General Laboratory Practices
A lack of SOPs or inadequate SOP content, particularly in sub-sampling and support equipment maintenance.
QAP deficiencies including a lack of direction for internal assessments, certification documentation, major equipment documentation, etc.
Inadequate or untimely closure of corrective actions.
A lack of logbook review, with incomplete or inconsistent implementation of corrections.
Lack of back-up systems to prevent catastrophic loss of samples (i.e., monitoring refrigerators on a calendar day basis).
Inadequate control of log books, notebooks, or operational aids.
Failure to notify clients of accreditation loss or Performance Testing failures.

11. Common Laboratory Findings
Data Quality for Organic Analyses
All target analytes are not included in matrix spikes or laboratory control samples over a two year period.
Calibration deficiencies.
Data Quality for Inorganic and Wet Chemistry Analyses
SOPs do not reflect actual practices being implemented in the lab.
Failure to utilize a solid matrix for laboratory control samples during analysis of soil and other solid matrices.
Consecutive Performance Test failures in soil matrices.

12. Common Laboratory Findings
Data Quality for Radiochemistry Analyses
Consecutive Performance Test failures in soil matrices.
Inadequate documentation and references for gamma and alpha spectroscopy instrument libraries.
Methods and/or practices do not include all required Programmatic QC elements.
Laboratory Information Management Systems and Electronic Data Management
Lack of computer hardware/software security measures (e.g., controlled server access, unprotected spreadsheet formulas for calculating data).
Inadequate inspections and testing of software and electronic data.
An absence of SOPs and system documentation.

13. Common Laboratory Findings
Hazardous and Radioactive Materials Management
Deficiencies in sample receipt of potentially radiological materials.
Inadequate tracking and documentation of unused sample portions to disposal or return to client.

14. FY09 Laboratory Audit Schedule
Laboratory Proposed Month Laboratory Proposed Month
S&ME, Inc October Paragon March 2009
Assaigai October SwRI April 2009
Test America, Knoxville November GEL April 2009
GPL , Maryland December EMAX April 2009
USEC Paducah December BC Laboratories May 2009
ORISE, Oak Ridge January USEC Portsmouth May 2009
Eberline Oak Ridge January Shaw May 2009
BWXT Lynchburg February Test America, Richland June 2009
UTB RMAL February Davis and Floyd June 2009
Eberline Richmond February Caltest June 2009
Xenco February CEBAM June 2009
MCL March Test America, Arvada July 2009
Lionville March Shealy Environmental July 2009
GPL , Alabama March DataChem SLC July 2009
Test America, St. Louis March ARS July 2009
* Highlighted Laboratories are both DOE/DOD Audited Laboratories

15. MAPEP Background Program Purpose: Program Focus:
To test and evaluate environmental analytical laboratory performance.
To provide defensible data that instills confidence in DOE decision-making.
Program Focus:
ISO Accredited PT Provider with traceability to NIST
Radiological, stable inorganic, and organic analyses.
Soil, water, air filter, and vegetation media.
Interaction with DOECAP and QSAS.
- MAPEP required for all laboratories performing analysis for DOE

16. MAPEP Laboratories MAPEP Laboratory Participants:
109 Domestic Laboratories
17 International Laboratories
- Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Laboratories
New Zealand (1); Brazil (1)
- Cooperative Monitoring
Canada (2); United Kingdom (2)
- Middle Eastern Nations
Jordan (3); Irag (1); Oman (1); Kuwait (1);
Qatar (1); Turkey(1); Morocco (1); Israel (1)
- International Atomic Energy Agency (1)

17. MAPEP Accomplishments
DOE’s - Radiological and Environmental Sciences Laboratory (RESL) on the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho
ISO Accredited Proficiency Test Provider (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) approval on a 2 year cycle)
RESL won A-76 Study competition for outsourcing
Letter of Obligation – formalizes work commitments
(3 yrs./2 option years)
MOU – NE/HSS/RESL defines roles/responsibilities

18. MAPEP Initiatives Test session 20 distribution (March 2009)
Test session 21 distribution (September 2009)
60 day timeframe for laboratory reporting test results to RESL
New remedial PT sample policy – one remedial attempt, then must also pass subsequent routine PT session
HSS Letters of Concern for consecutive PT failures
Track and trend reasons for Letters of Concern

19. Proficiency Testing Analyses
Samples Distributed to Participating Laboratories, MAPEP Series 19 (2008)
MAPEP Matrix Series 19
Matrix Id.
Total Samples
Foreign Labs
Mixed-Analyte Soil
MaS
113 16
Mixed-Analyte Water
MaW
133 17
Semi-volatile Organic Water
OrW 38
Radiological Vegetation
RdV 70 15
Radiological Air Filters
RdF 87 13
Gross alpha/beta Water
GrW 72 11
Gross alpha/beta Filter
GrF 75 8
Increase in Samples Distributed and Analyses by Laboratories
Fiscal Year
Series
Number of
MAPEP Samples
# of Analyses by Laboratories
FY07
15 & 16
1098
13628
FY08
17 & 18
1136
13605
FY09
19 & 20
1200
14000

20. Laboratory Auditing and Proficiency Test Preparation

21. Radiological Analysis Liquid Scintillation Counting

22. 2009 ASP Workshop Date: September 13-17, 2009
Location: Snow King Lodge
Jackson Hole, Wyoming

23. ASP Program Contact Information
George E. Detsis, Analytical Services Program (ASP) Manager
Phone: (301)  
Jorge Ferrer - DOECAP Manager, DOE Oak Ridge
Phone: (865)  
Guy Marlette, MAPEP Coordinator, Idaho National Laboratory
Phone: (208)
Brent Pulsifer, VSP Coordinator, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Phone: (509)