NAB-Malta Links

L C Technical was established in 1992, and since 2002 the organization has been providing replicate test samples for inter-laboratory testing (proficiency schemes) to assist material laboratories demonstrate the competency of their testing and assist compliance with accreditation requirements.

The independent iis Institute 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. Besides its annual PT-program, iis organises also tailor made studies on request. Any laboratory may participate using its own routine analytical methods.

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

RIQAS is the largest global EQA scheme. It is used by 8,100 laboratories worldwide, participating in a variety of programmes. RIQAS is accredited to a number of internationally recognised standards.

UK NEQAS facilitates optimal patient care by providing a comprehensive external quality assessment service in laboratory medicine. Through education and the promotion of best practice, it helps ensure that the results of investigations are reliable and comparable wherever they are produced.

VLA’s Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) is an independent unit based at Sutton Bonington, near Loughborough, Leicestershire on the same site as the Regional Laboratory. It is the market leader in proficiency testing for veterinary laboratories, with over 30 years experience and is an accredited proficiency testing provider (ISO Guide 43, ILAC G13).

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 and geometry and other fields on demand.

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.

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

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

ATILH of France should be contacted by email or by fax (+43 44 7811). The email address is available from their site.

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.

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General Links

NEQAS facilitates optimal patient care by providing a comprehensive external quality assessment service in laboratory medicine. UK NEQAS now comprises a network of 144 schemes operating from 24 centres based at major hospitals, research institutions and universities throughout the UK. The services cover qualitative and interpretative investigations in andrology, cellular pathology, clinical chemistry, genetics, haematology, immunology and microbiology.

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.

Chemistry, Microbiology & Environmental

Medical

Construction

The Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory (CCRL) is committed to the improvement of quality testing in the construction materials industry through laboratory assessments, proficiency samples, instruction, guidance, and clarification of ASTM standards. CCRL also performs proficiency sampling programs for portland cement, blended cement, masonry cement, portland cement concrete, pozzolan, and masonry materials (mortar and solid units).

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 situated in the University Hospital Herlev, on the outskirts of Copenhagen. DEKS is presently serving clinical biochemistry, clinical immunology, clinical microbiology, molecular biology and genetics, pathology, forensic medicine and general practitioners.

Eurofins is an established organisation responsible for organising 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.

Labquality is a non-profit organisation owned by Finnish hospitals and associations. Labquality offers External Quality Assessment Programmes that help laboratories confirm the quality of results and indicate their competence. Services and schemes are offered 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.

LGC’s Proficiency Testing Scheme, was launched in 1994 with the objective of stimulating improvements in the analysis of contaminated soils both in the United Kingdom and more widely within Europe. The scheme has now matured and has over 60 participants, mainly from the UK but also from a number of other European countries.

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

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

FAPAS - The Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme - Chemical Analysis of Food http://www.fapas.com/fapas.cfm
FEPAS - The Food Examination Performance Assessment Scheme - Microbiological Examination of Food http://www.fapas.com/fepas.cfm
GeMMA Scheme - The Genetically Modified Organisms Proficiency Testing Scheme http://www.fapas.com/gmopts.cfm
LEAP Scheme - The Laboratory Environmental Analysis Proficiency Scheme - Water and Environmental sectors http://www.fapas.com/leap.cf
PHYTOPAS Scheme – Plant Health Diagnostics - http://www.fapas.com/phytopas.cfm

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

The EPTIS website and database were established in the year 2000 in the frame of an EU project. The system is managed and the data continuously updated by a consortium of competent partners in 16 European countries. EPTIS is a non-commercial service and aims at creating transparency in the international proficiency testing (PT) market and strengthening PT as a valuable proof of technical competence.