Wash. Admin. Code § 314-55-1025 - Proficiency testing
(1) For the
purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
(a) "Field of testing" means the categories
of subject matter the laboratory tests, such as pesticide, microbial, potency,
residual solvent, heavy metal, mycotoxin, foreign matter, and moisture content
detection.
(b) "Proficiency testing
(PT)" means the analysis of samples by a laboratory obtained from providers
where the composition of the sample is unknown to the laboratory performing the
analysis and the results of the analysis are used in part to evaluate the
laboratory's ability to produce precise and accurate results.
(c) "Proficiency testing (PT) program" means
an operation offered by a provider to detect a laboratory's ability to produce
valid results for a given field of testing.
(d) "Provider" means a third-party company,
organization, or entity not associated with certified laboratories or a
laboratory seeking certification that operates an approved PT program and
provides samples for use in PT testing.
(e) "Vendor" means an organization(s)
approved by the board to certify laboratories for cannabis testing, approve PT
programs, and perform on-site assessments of laboratories.
(2) The board or its vendor determines the
sufficiency of PTs and maintains a list of approved PT programs. Laboratories
may request authorization to conduct PT through other PT programs but must
obtain approval for the PT program from the board or the board's vendor prior
to conducting PT. The board may add the newly approved PT program to the list
of approved PT programs as appropriate.
(3) As a condition of certification,
laboratories must participate in PT and achieve a passing score for each field
of testing for which the lab will be or is certified.
(4) A laboratory must successfully complete a
minimum of one round of PT for each field of testing the lab seeks to be
certified for and provide proof of the successful PT results prior to initial
certification.
(5)
(a) A certified laboratory must participate
in a minimum of two rounds of PT per year for each field of testing to maintain
its certification.
(b) To maintain
certification, the laboratory must achieve a passing score, on an ongoing
basis, in a minimum of two out of three successive rounds of PT. At least one
of the scores must be from a round of PT that occurs within six months prior to
the laboratory's certification renewal date.
(6) If the laboratory fails to achieve a
passing score on at least 80 percent of the analytes in any proficiency test,
the test is considered a failure. If the PT provider provides a pass/fail on a
per analyte basis but not on the overall round of PT the lab participates in,
the pass/fail evaluation for each analyte will be used to evaluate whether the
lab passed 80 percent of the analytes. If the PT provider does not provide
individual acceptance criteria for each analyte, the following criteria will be
applied to determine whether the lab achieves a passing score for the round of
PT:
(a) +/- 30% recovery from the reference
value for residual solvent testing; or
(b) +/- 3 z or 3 standard deviations from the
reference value for all other fields of testing.
(7) If a laboratory fails a round of PT or
reports a false negative on a micro PT, the laboratory must investigate the
root cause of the laboratory's performance and establish a corrective action
report for each unsatisfactory analytical result. The corrective action report
must be kept and maintained by the laboratory for a period of three years,
available for review during an on-site assessment or inspection, and provided
to the board or the board's vendor upon request.
(8) Laboratories are responsible for
obtaining PT samples from vendors approved by the board or the board's vendor.
Laboratories are responsible for all costs associated with obtaining PT samples
and rounds of PT.
(9) The
laboratory must manage, analyze and report all PT samples in the same manner as
customer samples including, but not limited to, adhering to the same sample
tracking, sample preparation, analysis methods, standard operating procedures,
calibrations, quality control, and acceptance criteria used in testing customer
samples.
(10) The laboratory must
authorize the PT provider to release all results at the same time, whether pass
or fail, to the laboratory and the board, or the board's vendor.
(11) The board may require the laboratory to
submit raw data and all photographs of plated materials along with the report
of analysis of PT samples. The laboratory must keep and maintain all raw data
and all photographs of plated materials from PT for a period of three
years.
(12) The board may waive
proficiency tests for certain fields of testing if PT samples or PT programs
are not readily available or for other valid reasons as determined by the
board.
(13)
(a) The board will suspend a laboratory's
certification if the laboratory fails to maintain a passing score on an ongoing
basis in two out of three successive PT studies. The board may reinstate a
laboratory's suspended certification if the laboratory successfully analyzes PT
samples from the board or the board's vendor approved PT provider, so long as
the supplemental PT studies are performed at least 15 days apart from the
analysis date of one PT study to the analysis date of another PT
study.
(b) The board will suspend a
laboratory's certification if the laboratory fails two consecutive rounds of
PT. The board may reinstate a laboratory's suspended certification once the
laboratory conducts an investigation, provides the board a deficiency report
identifying the root cause of the failed PT, and successfully analyzes PT
samples from a board or board's vendor approved PT provider. The supplemental
PT studies must be performed at least 15 days apart from the analysis date of
one PT study to the analysis date of another PT study.
(14) If a laboratory fails to remediate and
have its certification reinstated under subsection (13)(a) or (b) of this
section within six months of the suspension, the laboratory must reapply for
certification as if the laboratory was never certified previously.
(15) A laboratory that has its certification
suspended or revoked under this section may request an administrative hearing
to contest the suspension as provided in chapter 34.05 RCW.
Notes
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