Note: Links to the codes specified above can be found on the Wisconsin department of natural resources laboratory accreditation program website.
(3) Laboratories performing analyses for the safe drinking water program under ch. NR 809 or for the well construction and pump installation testing program under ch. NR 812 shall be certified; registration is not available for these analyses. Additional requirements for laboratories performing compliance analysis under chs. NR 809 and 812 are specified in s. NR 149.19. (4) Laboratories performing analysis for whole effluent toxicity testing shall meet the requirements specified in s. NR 149.20. (5) This chapter applies to laboratories analyzing industrial pre-treatment samples when the department is the control authority of a pre-treatment ordinance or when another control authority requires it.
(6) Laboratories performing asbestos or radiological testing for a covered program shall be certified or approved by the EPA or the department.
Note: Laboratories performing bacteriological testing for a covered program are certified or approved under ch. ATCP 77 by the department of agriculture, trade, and consumer protection. (7) (a) This chapter establishes compliance requirements that shall be incorporated into the quality systems of all laboratories accredited by the laboratory accreditation program.
(b)
Laboratories shall meet any requirements pertaining to analyses and analytical operations contained in the methods, regulations, or covered programs when those requirements are more stringent than the ones specified in this chapter, unless this chapter grants explicit, alternative allowances.(c)
When it is not apparent whether the minimum requirements of this chapter or those specified in the methods, regulations, or covered programs are more stringent, laboratories shall meet the requirements in the methods, regulations, or covered programs.(d) The department shall retain the authority to make a decision on the stringency of a laboratory requirement when the applicability of a requirement is disputed.
(e) The order of applicability of a requirement is method, code, and statute, whenever each succeeding source contains more general or less stringent requirements that are not in conflict.
(f) When a laboratory incorporates a procedure that is neither expressly permitted nor prohibited by the method, the department shall retain the authority to determine the acceptability of the practice.
NR 149.03 Definitions. In this chapter:
(1) “Acceptance limits” means limits established by the department that are used to determine if a laboratory has analyzed a proficiency testing sample successfully.
(2) “Accreditation” and “accredited” mean formal recognition that an organization is competent to perform specific types of tests as determined by this department. “Accreditation” and “accredited” include “certification” and “registration”.
(3) “Accreditation matrix” means a matrix type that is part of the first tier of a field of accreditation under s. NR 149.13 (2). Accreditation matrices are drinking water, aqueous, and non-aqueous matrices. (4) “Accuracy” means the closeness of a measured value to an accepted reference value or standard.
(5) “Algorithm” means a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations for solving a problem.
(6) “Analysis day” means the day in which a specific type of analysis is performed.
(7) “Analyte” means the chemical substance, physical property, or organism analyzed in a sample.
(8) “Analyte group” means a set of analytes that can be determined using the same method or technology and that constitute a unit, acknowledged by the department, of the third tier of accreditation under s. NR 149.13 (4). (9) “Analytical balance” means a balance that is capable of measuring masses to within 0.0001 g.
(10) “Analytical class” means a set of analytes or analyte groups of similar behavior or composition, or a set of analytes or analyte groups regulated under the same provisions of the federal safe drinking water act, that is used to organize the third tier of accreditation under s. NR 149.13 (4). (11) “Analytical instrument” means any test instrument used to provide analytical results that is not support equipment.
(12) “Analytical staff” means staff that includes laboratory directors, supervisory personnel, quality assurance personnel, technicians, chemists, biologists, preparation analysts, and instrument analysts.
(13) “Aqueous” means an accreditation matrix that is a single phase water sample and that is not drinking water.
(14) “Batch” means a set of environmental samples prepared or analyzed together using the same process, personnel, and lots of reagents.
(a)
A “preparation batch” means a set of one to 20 environmental samples of the same accreditation matrix, meeting batch criteria, and with a maximum time of 24 hours between the start of processing of the first and last sample in the batch.(b)
An “analytical batch” means a set of environmental samples which are analyzed together as a group in an uninterrupted sequence.(15) “Bias” means the consistent deviation of measured values from a true value caused by systematic errors in a procedure or a measurement process.
(16) “Blank” means a clean sample or sample matrix processed to measure artifacts in the measurement process.
(17) “Calibration” means the process used to establish an observed relationship between the response of an analytical instrument and a known amount of analyte, or the process used to determine, by measuring or comparison with a reference standard, the correct value of each scale reading in an instrument, meter, or measuring device.
(18) “Calibration blank” means a blank that consists of the same solvent as that used for the calibration standards, but without the analytes.
(19) “Calibration function” means the specific mathematical relationship established to relate calibration standards to instrument response.
(20) “Calibration model” means an algorithm that is used to determine an average calibration factor, average response factor, linear regression, or non-linear regression.
(21) “Certificate” means a document owned by the department and issued to a laboratory that indicates the fields of accreditation granted to a laboratory.
(22)
“Certification” or “certified” means certification, under s. 299.11 (7), Stats., of laboratories that perform compliance analyses for hire or to laboratories that perform compliance drinking water analyses in accordance with the standards and requirements of this chapter.(23) “Coefficient of determination” means a quantity that measures the degree of agreement between the points in a calibration and the function derived to connect the points.
(24) “Confirm” means to verify the identity of a compound by an alternative procedure, column, detector, wavelength, or by a technology that bases detection on a different scientific principle from the one originally used for identifying the compound.
(25) “Continuing calibration blank” or “CCB” means a blank that consists of the same solvent as that used for the calibration standards, but without the analytes, analyzed during an analysis sequence to verify the continued absence of instrumental interferences.
(26) “Continuing calibration verification standard” or “CCV standard” means a standard of known concentration of analyte used to assure continued calibration accuracy during an analysis sequence.
(27) “Correlation coefficient” means a quantity that measures the degree of agreement between the points in a calibration curve and the linear function derived to connect the points.
(28) “Corrective action” means any measure taken to eliminate or prevent the recurrence of the causes of an existing nonconformity, defect, or undesirable condition.
(29) “Council” means the certification standards review council created under s. 15.107 (12), Stats. (30) “Covered program” means a program listed or enumerated in s. 299.11 (1) (d) 1. To 9., Stats., and includes any department program, project, permit, contract, or site investigation that requires analytical work to be performed by an accredited laboratory.
