50 Years Of Excellence

AIHA LAP E-News Fall 2024

Message from the Executive Director:

The AIHA LAP team hopes everyone in the AIHA LAP community is safe and well, particularly those impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton. In this fall edition of the E-News, we would like to update you on recent developments as AIHA LAP winds down its 50th year. Please let us know if you have questions or need our help with anything related to accreditation.

Once again, Happy 50th Anniversary, AIHA LAP!

Cheryl O. Morton

Information for Laboratories

Assistance After Recent Hurricanes

The thoughts of AIHA LAP staff, volunteers, and site assessors are with all who have been impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton. We are making sure that people in the region in need of microbiology testing are aware of the services our accredited laboratories can provide. Laboratories that have been impacted by the storms should feel free to contact AIHA LAP if they need to reschedule a site assessment or require assistance of any type. We understand that recovery will take time. AIHA LAP is committed to supporting its accredited laboratories and their customers in the weeks ahead.

LQSR 4.0 Published

On October 23, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its final updated guidance on its laboratory standards under its National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program (NLLAP). Laboratories accredited under AIHA LAP's Environmental Lead Laboratory Program (ELLAP) are recognized for lead testing under NLLAP -- an EPA program that defines the minimum requirements and abilities that a laboratory must meet to attain EPA recognition. The finalized revisions reflected in the document titled, “Laboratory Quality Standards for Recognition” (LQSR 4.0),” update and streamline the previous version (LQSR 3.0) dated November 5, 2007. Please note that ELLAP laboratories will have until December 22, 2025, to conform to the new standards and will be receiving additional information from LAP to help them understand and meet the new requirements. For more information, contact the LAP Staff.

Requirements for Proficiency Testing Data Submissions

Accredited laboratories are reminded that, per Policy Module 6 (PDF), all proficiency testing (PT) data must be submitted through the LAP data management system as PT reports are received. This includes PT data from all schemes and providers used by the lab for an accredited field of testing, such as Internal Proficiency Testing, PHENOVA, or EMPAT. Labs have 45 business days after receiving PT results to submit the information and documentation for that testing round to AIHA LAP. Staff update PT records weekly, and submitted PT results should be displayed in a lab’s proficiency testing summary report within five business days of receipt. This information is used to streamline the application process for reaccreditation and to effectively review the PT records during site assessments.

Please reach out to Keelyn Crossin, accreditation specialist, at kcrossin@aiha.org, if you need assistance logging in or submitting PT information to the LAP data management system.

Advertising Reminders

Laboratories are reminded to follow AIHA LAP Policy Module 7 (PDF), which covers advertisement, symbol use, and promotion of their accreditation. It is important that labs only market themselves for the programs they are accredited in. Advertising accreditation in a program for which a lab is not accredited is misleading to customers and against Policy Module 7. Policy Module 7 outlines which accreditation symbols and logos may be used and provides example accreditation statement language for advertising use. Examples of misleading accreditation include the following:

  • A lab ID, accreditation statement, or symbol for a specific program displayed in an ad or on a website for services not covered by a lab’s accreditation.
  • A lab ID, accreditation statement, or symbol in an ad or on a website that lists all of a lab’s locations but does not indicate which sites offer which types of accredited services.
  • A lab ID, accreditation statement, or symbol on a report that has unaccredited test results without indicating the non-accredited tests.
  • A lab ID, accreditation statement, or symbol on product packaging. AIHA LAP does not accredit products and thus accreditation cannot be indicated on packaging.
  • Continued use of lab IDs, accreditation statements, or symbols for suspended scopes or programs.

In addition to the site assessors’ review of test reports and marketing materials, AIHA LAP staff routinely check our labs’ websites and social media pages to ensure compliance with Policy Module 7. If you have any questions about the accreditation symbols or find any inappropriate use of AIHA LAP symbols or the AIHA LAP logos, please bring them to our attention by reaching out to Keelyn Crossin, accreditation specialist, at kcrossin@aiha.org.

Look Out for the Training Survey

Our accredited laboratories will soon receive an important AIHA LAP survey via email. The survey will solicit our accredited laboratories’ input on accreditation-related training needs (ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and other requirements) so that AIHA LAP can determine how these needs can be addressed through webinars or other training tools. Labs can expect to receive the training survey by mid-November. For questions about the survey, please contact Lauren Schnack, quality systems manager, at lschnack@aiha.org.

Thank you in advance for helping us better serve you.

The Laboratory Edition of The Synergist

The August edition of the Synergist magazine is the laboratory edition. AIHA LAP accredited labs are encouraged to click on the following links for laboratory-related articles included in the August 2024 edition:

Airborne Particulates PT Program Available as an Option

AIHA LAP has added the AIHA PAT Airborne Particulates Program to the Scope/Proficiency Testing Table document (PDF), within the gravimetric field of testing in the miscellaneous core and compressed/breathing air testing categories. This program is for laboratories that analyze 37 mm, 5 µm PVC filter samples using gravimetric determination. The program streamlines the proficiency testing process by providing all the information needed to determine the net mass loading in milligrams and uses the same media as the NIOSH 0500, NIOSH 0600, and NIOSH 5000 methods. The range of the program is 0.5 to 5 mg per filter. Four filters are sent per round, and the rounds take place in April and October. For more information, visit AIHA PAT Program’s Airborne Particulates and IHPAT FAQ webpages.

Sampling Flyer Available

Former AIHA LAP Board Liaison Cindy Ostrowski and former Analytical Accreditation Board Chairperson Laura Parker have created a flyer, “The Advantages of Hiring an Industrial/Occupational Hygienist (IH/OH) for Air Monitoring.” This flyer will help companies that require workplace air monitoring and testing understand the role of sampling, find a professional to conduct sampling, and know what to expect during the process. To download the flyer, click here (PDF).

International News

AIHA LAP Executive Director Attends IAF/ILAC and NAAF Meetings

On Oct. 1-10, AIHA LAP Executive Director Cheryl Morton joined leaders from accreditation bodies and conformity assessment organizations around the world in Berlin for the annual meeting of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC). Meeting participants discussed emerging topics such as the role of conformity assessment in sustainability, artificial intelligence, and climate change. More importantly, IAF and ILAC members approved through a positive vote the constitution and general rules of an accreditation body called GLOBAC, which will be formed from the merger of IAF and ILAC, and officially started the registration process for this entity.

As a signatory of the ILAC mutual recognition arrangement, AIHA LAP supports and anticipates working under the auspice of this new global accreditation entity. For more information about ILAC, visit the organization's website.

While in Berlin, Cheryl Morton also attended the North American Accreditation Forum (NAAF) board of directors meeting on October 8, which was held at the same location as the IAF-ILAC annual meeting. Morton serves on the board of NAAF, a nonprofit organization created to promote the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and opinions on conformity assessment and accreditation in support of the principles of the World Trade Organization and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

More information about NAAF may be found on the forum's website.

Site Assessor News

Welcome to Our New Site Assessor

We are pleased to announce that Alan Goldstein, PhD, has joined AIHA LAP as an assessor for EMLAP and FoodLAP. Alan has been a microbiologist for over 30 years. He retired from EMSL Analytical in 2022, where he had spent 18 years as a microbiology lab manager and the company's national quality assurance microbiology specialist. As the quality assurance specialist, Alan developed the company's program for conducting remote internal audits. Alan is a member of AIHA and was a volunteer on the AIHA LAP Technical Advisory Panel and Analytical Accreditation Board. In 2019, he was awarded the Newton Whitman Award as an outstanding technical advisory panel reviewer. Welcome Alan!

AIHA LAP Seeking More Site Assessors

AIHA LAP is looking for potential assessors available part or full time. As an AIHA LAP site assessor, you will visit laboratory sites all over the country and the world, auditing them to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and AIHA LAP policies. AIHA LAP will provide the training you need to understand our policies and get started. Training meetings are hosted yearly. For more information or to inquire about the position, please contact Cheryl Morton at cmorton@aiha.org

Staff News

Drake McGregor, accreditation and technical manager, left AIHA LAP on Aug. 23 to pursue another job opportunity. During his eight-year tenure with AIHA LAP, McGregor helped launch and upgrade AIHA LAP’s online data management system and training materials and assisted our volunteers and site assessors in using the new system. McGregor also used Smartsheet to make AIHA LAP’s information management more efficient and represented AIHA LAP at national and international meetings. We thank Drake for his contributions and wish him all the best in his new position.

Stephen Brunson, digital marketing specialist, left the AIHA LAP team to pursue another opportunity on July 3. During his two years with AIHA LAP, Brunson led the rollout of the new AIHA LAP brand, improved the AIHA LAP website, and increased social media engagement across multiple platforms. We thank Stephen for his contributions and wish him well.

Newly Accredited Labs

Congratulations to the following labs for becoming accredited by AIHA LAP or for adding new AIHA LAP programs to their scopes since the beginning of the year:

LAP newly accredited labs table image

To review the full list of our newly accredited and reaccredited labs each month, please go to the AIHA LAP Directory.