Links

External Quality Assurance - Proficiency Testing and Inter-Laboratory Comparisons

The NAB-MALTA policy on Proficiency Testing and Inter-Lab comparisons is set in document ATG10. The NAB-MALTA considers the participation of Labs in external PT/ILC as an important mechanism for monitoring the integrity of test and calibration results. It is a policy of the NAB-MALTA that all accredited laboratories participate in such schemes where these are available and relevant to the scope of accreditation.

Note: It is up to the laboratories to select the most appropriate scheme and to check and evaluate the quality of the PT provider.

General Links

European Information System on Proficiency Testing Schemes (EPTIS)

EPTIS is a database of proficiency testing schemes in various technical sectors.

IMEP The International Measurement Evaluation Programme

IMEP provides certified reference values with demonstrated traceability for chemical measurements,. IMEP interlaboratory comparisons focus on chemical measurements in matrices such as sediment, rice, wine, water, fish, human serum and fuel.

European Molecular Quality Network

EMQN is a not-for-profit organisation promoting quality in molecular genetic testing through the provision of external quality assessment (proficiency testing schemes) and the organisation of best practice meetings and publication of guidelines.

United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service

UK NEQAS provides external quality schemes in laboratory medicine. The services cover qualitative and interpretative investigations in andrology, cellular pathology, clinical chemistry, genetics, haematology, immunology and microbiology.

VSL Dutch Metrology Institute

VSL participates in key comparisons with national metrology institutes throughout the world.  VSL is accredited (RvA R006) for organizing interlaboratory comparisons in a range of fields (pressure, mass, temperature, moisture and chemical analyses.) VSL also organizes interlaboratory comparisons in the field of electricity.

Chemistry, Microbiology & Environmental

FAPAS

This covers proficiency testing to the food, water and environmental laboratory sectors. This website links to various schemes including:

FAPAS - The Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme - Chemical Analysis of Food http://www.fapas.com/proficiency-testing-schemes/fapas/index.cfm

FEPAS - The Food Examination Performance Assessment Scheme - Microbiological Examination of Food http://www.fapas.com/proficiency-testing-schemes/fepas/index.cfm

GeMMA Scheme - The Genetically Modified Organisms Proficiency Testing Scheme http://www.fapas.com/proficiency-testing-schemes/gemma/index.cfm

LEAP Scheme - The Laboratory Environmental Analysis Proficiency Scheme - Water and Environmental sectors http://www.fapas.com/proficiency-testing-schemes/leap/index.cfm

PHYTOPAS Scheme – Plant Health Diagnostics - http://www.fapas.com/proficiency-testing-schemes/PhytoPAS/index.cfm

LGC- Standards (Chemistry, Environmental Tests)

LGC’s Proficiency Testing Scheme mainly focuses on chemistry, food, beverages and environmental tests but also includes other sectors. LGC Standards is a UKAS accredited international provider of proficiency testing (PT) services.

Eurofins (English version)

Eurofins organises proficiency tests for environmental laboratories. The proficiency tests are performed in accordance with international standards and guidelines, and are conducted in co-operation with the Danish accreditation body, DANAK. Eurofins laboratories are accredited to the international standard MSA EN ISO/IEC 17025. The proficiency tests are open to laboratories in all European countries. Typical participants of these schemes are public and private environmental laboratories as well as operational laboratories in wastewater treatment plants and industries. The proficiency tests are available for metals, trace elements, petroleum hydrocarbons, COD, BOD, TOC, nutrients and several other parameters.

Health and Safety Laboratory

HSL operates proficiency testing schemes in support of workplace and environmental risk assessments.

Institute for Interlaboratory studies - Petroleum Products

The independent IIS organises global interlaboratory studies on fuels, petroleum products, petrochemicals and consumer products. Studies are usually performed on commercially relevant products and involve testing on complete specifications.. Any laboratory may participate using its own routine analytical methods.

Wine Proficency Testing Organisation

The Wine Proficiency test organization has the aim of establishing statistically the basis of the consensual values(means and standard deviation), for each participant to evaluate their analytical performance in relation to all other laboratories  Through the ILC campaigns, the value of certain physicochemical parameters of wine can be found with certainty.

IFA-TEST Sytems

IFA is part of the national monitoring programme on ground and surface water quality in Austria and covers schemes for the determination of ions, trace metals and micro pollutants in water.

INERIS

INERIS organises Proficiency Testing Scheme for analysis of samples coming from stationary source emissions. The special feature of these tests is that they focus on samples, very close to true emission matrices.

PT-WFD network

Network of PT Providers to Support the Implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD)". More information about them can be found at www.pt-wfd.eu.

Medical

EQUALIS (Clinical Tests)

EQUALIS is a non-profit limited company, jointly owned by The Federation of County Councils, The Swedish Society of Medicine, and The Swedish Institute of Biomedical Laboratory Science. EQUALIS is an accredited organization and currently has schemes for:

• Clinical immunology
• Clinical physiology and vascular diagnosis
• Coagulation
• DNA-analysis 
• Echocardiography 
• Endocrinology
• General clinical chemistry
• Haematology
• Histopathological and cytological techniques
• Medical microbiology
• Nuclearmedicine 
• Pathology and cytology
• Point-of-care testing
• Protein analysis
• Therapeutical drugs and Drugs of abuse
• Transfusion medicine

DEKS (Clinical Tests) - Dansk Institut for Ekstern Kvalitetssikring for Laboratorier i Sundhedssektoren (English version)

Danish Institute of External Quality Assurance for Laboratories in Health Care, DEKS, is a non-profit organization owned by the Copenhagen County on behalf of all other counties in Denmark.  DEKS is presently serving clinical biochemistry, clinical immunology, clinical microbiology, molecular biology and genetics, pathology, forensic medicine and general practitioners.

Labquality (English)

Labquality is a non-profit organisation owned by Finnish hospitals and associations and it offers External Quality Assessment Programmes in the following sectors: Andrology, Cardiac physiology, Clinical chemistry, Genetics, Haematology, Immunology, Microbiology (Serology, Bacteriology, Mycology, Parasitology, Virology), Pathology, Point-of-care tests, and Veterinary medicine.

VETQAS - Veterinary Laboratory Services

VLA’s Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) provides proficiency testing for veterinary laboratories, It is an accredited proficiency testing provider.

UK NEQAS

UK NEQAS provides  external quality assessment schemes in laboratory medicine. 

Randox Laboratories - RIQAS EQA

ECAT Foundation

The ECAT Foundation is a non-profit organisation with the objective to provide an international External Quality Assessment Programme (EQAP) for laboratories working in the field of haemostasis and thrombosis.

Construction and Mechanical

Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory

Forschungsinstitut der Vereinigung der österreichischen Zementindustrie

Forschungsinstitut der Vereinigung der österreichischen Zementindustrie should be contacted by email. The email address is available from their site or on office@voezfi.at

EMPA

EMPA should be contacted by email. The email address is available from their site.

L C Technical Services