Information for Accredited Labs

Resources on ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Still Available

All AIHA LAP-accredited labs will need to be fully accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 by November 2020 or they will lose their accreditation status. Assessments should be conducted by August 2020 to allow any deficiencies that are identified to be closed out before the November deadline. For those labs that have yet to undergo an assessment to the new standard, please refer to the document Frequently Asked Questions on ISO/IEC 17025:2017 available on the Policy Page on the AIHA LAP website. The complimentary webinar on ISO/IEC 17025:2017 is also still available to all AIHA LAP accredited labs upon proof of purchase of the revised standard. To get the link for the webinar, please contact Olena Bulgakova at obulgakova@aiha.org.

Feel free to contact Cheryl Morton at cmorton@aiha.org or 703-846-0789 should you require more information about the new standard or have questions about the November 2020 deadline.

LAP’s Online Database Up and Running

AIHA LAP has officially upgraded and replaced its data management system with an online database that will make the accreditation process more efficient for staff, volunteers, site assessors, and stakeholders. The database is a platform for the entire accreditation process and covers everything from the application phase to the Analytical Accreditation Board accreditation decision. The full system is now being used by staff, assessors, and volunteers, and as laboratories are reaccredited, they will receive a link to a training webinar to orient them to the new system and allow them to apply online. For more information on the new online database, please contact Drake McGregor at dmcgregor@aiha.org or (703) 846-0739.

LAP Survey to Be Conducted This Spring

In an effort to develop services and programs that are responsive to our accredited laboratories’ needs, AIHA LAP’s Strategic Advisory Group will be working with McKinley Advisors (an independent research firm) to conduct a web-based survey of AIHA LAP laboratory customers and other stakeholders. Using outcomes from both the survey and interviews, AIHA LAP will be better informed as it develops its five year strategic and business plan. When you receive the survey email from AIHA LAP sometime in April-May 2020, we urge you to complete the survey so that you can help LAP know where it needs to go in the future to better serve you. For more information about the upcoming survey, please contact Cheryl Morton at (703) 343-0702 or cmorton@aiha.org.

Input Still Sought on NIOSH Methods

The editors of the NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM) are still accepting feedback on the 5th edition of the NMAM to learn more about customers’ use of analytical methods and the manual in their work. Survey results will be used to help focus future method development activities, improve NMAM methods, and identify website content or features in need of improvement. The survey is anonymous, and no individually identifiable data will be collected, published, or released. AIHA LAP-accredited laboratories interested in providing feedback to NIOSH on methods should complete the NMAM customer satisfaction survey.

Your Feedback Is Important

AIHA LAP has created several opportunities for our labs to provide us feedback on both our assessors and programs. All AIHA LAP accredited labs receive links to the site assessor feedback survey and LAP accreditation programs survey from their assigned site assessor at the close of their assessment, and once again by email when they receive their notification regarding certificate and scope for their next accreditation cycle. It is very important that accredited labs complete the feedback survey to provide AIHA LAP the information we need to evaluate assessor performance and provide coaching and training where needed. Please participate in the surveys when you receive them. You can also submit feedback or complaints on LAP programs, staff, and assessors at any time by using the links under the Feedback section of the LAP website.

Your feedback helps us identify ways we can be of better service to you as an accreditation body. We look forward to hearing from you!

Volunteer News

AAB Appoints New AAB and TAP Members

The Analytical Accreditation Board (AAB) is pleased to announce that it has appointed the following experts to serve on the AAB and Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) beginning March 1, 2020:

*Re-appointed member

The AAB thanks its colleagues Bill Walsh, Chris Powell, Jaime Steedman-Lyde, and Cynthia Pugh (whose terms will end Feb. 29) for serving on, and making significant contributions to, the AAB. The AAB also thanks Tianbao Bai, Lisa Beach, Tracey Earle, Frank Ehrenfeld, Alan Goldstein, Ranjana Valecha, and Ed Stuber (whose terms on TAP will also end Feb. 29) for their dedicated service on TAP. Please join us in congratulating the new AAB and TAP appointees and thanking the departing AAB and TAP members for their service.

We also want to thank this year’s AAB and TAP appointment committee for their outstanding service.

Upcoming Meetings

AIHA LAP Annual Meeting Set for March 9-13, 2020

AIHA LAP’s annual meeting will be held in Tampa, Fla. on March 9-13, 2020. The focus of this year’s meeting, which is held for site assessors, volunteers, and staff, will be continued training on the revised ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard. Site assessors will get a chance to discuss the best practices and approaches to conducting AIHA LAP assessments. The meeting will also focus on risk-based thinking as well as other changes that AIHA LAP has made to comply with the revised ISO/IEC 17011:2017.

Join AIHA LAP in Atlanta for AIHce EXP 2020

Registration is officially open for the 2020 American Industrial Hygiene conference and exhibition (AIHce EXP 2020), which will be held in Atlanta, Ga. on June 1-3, 2020. Several AIHA LAP accredited labs will exhibit, along with AIHA LAP, so there will be many opportunities for attendees to learn about reliable testing and finding accredited labs. AIHce EXP 2020 will once again feature a special session organized by AAB member Bob Lieckfield (HSE Division at Apex Companies, LLC.).

This year’s education session, which will be conducted on Wednesday, June 3, is entitled What’s New in Accredited Laboratory Testing and will include the following sessions:

  • The Accreditation of Sampling Activities

This session will focus on the development of sampling accreditation programs that AIHA LAP expects to launch in a year. Learn more about fields of testing for legacy AIHA LAP programs, a standalone program for sampling, and how these programs will improve confidence in testing data.

  • Applying Risk-Based Thinking in Laboratories

This session will explore how laboratories can identify, prioritize, and mitigate risks in a testing laboratory, as well as how laboratories can identify opportunities for improvement.

Other Meetings

International News

World Accreditation Day 2020

June 9 marks World Accreditation Day 2020. Established by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and the International Accreditation Forum, World Accreditation Day is celebrated each year to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation activities. This year, the focus of World Accreditation Day will be on improving food safety. Accredited labs will able to download posters and other information on World Accreditation Day 2020 from our website and learn more about how we will celebrate that day. Stay tuned!

Congratulations to Our Newly Accredited Labs

Congratulations to the following labs for becoming newly accredited AIHA LAP laboratories or for having new AIHA LAP programs added to their scopes:

To review AIHA LAP’s full list of newly accredited and reaccredited labs each month, visit our Newly Accredited Labs page.