Pennsylvania DEP’s Laws Relating to NELAP and the Use of Non-Governmental Accreditation Bodies
Operational and Advocacy Issues Impacting the Environmental Laboratory Industry
Oral Presentation
Prepared by A. Alger
Dept of Environmental Protection / Bureau of Laboratories, PO Box 1467, 2575 Interstate Drive, Harrisburg, PA, 17110, United States
Contact Information: [email protected]; 717-346-8212
ABSTRACT
The Pennsylvania Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Act (“ELAA”) of 2002 established the PA-DEP’s authority to offer and require accreditation of environmental laboratories performing DEP compliance testing. The 2002 Lab Act established the Department’s commitment to seeking and maintaining its recognition as a NELAP-recognized Accreditation Body (“AB”) and thereby securing the Department’s commitment to NELAP and accepting secondary accreditations of other NELAP-recognized ABs. The ELAA mandates that the PA-DEP may only reciprocate accreditation from other governmental agencies. This session will explore the PA-DEP’s and other State agencies’ laws related to the recognition or acceptance of accreditations granted by non-governmental entities. The session will also discuss some of PA-DEP’s more recent enforcement cases when inappropriate activities are discovered during investigations, on-site assessments, and data audits and the Program’s allocation of resources from an operational, technical, and administrative perspective.
Operational and Advocacy Issues Impacting the Environmental Laboratory Industry
Oral Presentation
Prepared by A. Alger
Dept of Environmental Protection / Bureau of Laboratories, PO Box 1467, 2575 Interstate Drive, Harrisburg, PA, 17110, United States
Contact Information: [email protected]; 717-346-8212
ABSTRACT
The Pennsylvania Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Act (“ELAA”) of 2002 established the PA-DEP’s authority to offer and require accreditation of environmental laboratories performing DEP compliance testing. The 2002 Lab Act established the Department’s commitment to seeking and maintaining its recognition as a NELAP-recognized Accreditation Body (“AB”) and thereby securing the Department’s commitment to NELAP and accepting secondary accreditations of other NELAP-recognized ABs. The ELAA mandates that the PA-DEP may only reciprocate accreditation from other governmental agencies. This session will explore the PA-DEP’s and other State agencies’ laws related to the recognition or acceptance of accreditations granted by non-governmental entities. The session will also discuss some of PA-DEP’s more recent enforcement cases when inappropriate activities are discovered during investigations, on-site assessments, and data audits and the Program’s allocation of resources from an operational, technical, and administrative perspective.
