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 QC Programme- General information The QC Programme includes the following services: 1. Proficiency Testing (PT) schemes 2. Reference Materials (QCMs) for Quality control chart, External control and Corrective actions 3. Virtual Institute for Reference Material (VIRM) 4. Training courses 1. Proficiency Testing (PT) schemes Quality Consult organizes the following types of Proficiency Testing (PT) schemes: a)QC PT schemes Since 2004, Quality Consult organizes a permanent programme of proficiency testing, named as “QC PT schemes”, which yearly provides evaluation trials of the analytical performances of laboratories in environmental matrices analysis. From 2004, overall 100 QC PT schemes have been organized on the determination of trace elements, major components and organic compounds (PAHs, pesticides, PCBs, halogenated solvents, aromatic solvents), in different environmental matrices (drinking, river and spring water, wastewater, groundwater, sewage sludge, sediment and soil) with the participation of up to 230 public and private laboratories. read more...b)PT-WFD PT schemes Quality Consult is a founding member of the PT-WFD Network "Proficiency Testing - Water Focused Determinands" supporting the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in EU Member States. The PT-WFD Network was officially founded on 8 October 2008 within the EAQC-WISE project activities funded by the European Commission (contract No. 022603) and with the official signature of the technical agreement document by Quality Consult as well as by AQS-BW (DE), BIPEA (FR), Institute Pasteur de Lille (FR), IWW Water Centre (DE), LGC Standards (UK), National Institute of Chemistry (SI), QUASIMEME (NL). During 2009 also NIVA (NO), AGLAE (FR), SYKE (FI), Tallin Univ. of Technology (ET), Institut fur Hygiene und Umwelt (DE) have asked to join the PT-WFD Network. The Network activities are supervised by external advisors from AQUAREF (FR), ENEA (IT), IFA Tulln (AT), IRMM (EC), RWS (NL). read more...c) Pilot PT schemes Each year Quality Consult may organize particular Proficiency Testing schemes on emerging contaminants, as pilot PT schemes, to meet specific needs expressed by laboratories and/or required by new legislation and/or proposed by the scientific community. The permanent inclusion of such pilot PT schemes in the QC PT schemes programme will depend on their success in terms of laboratories participation and comparability of their analytical results. read more...d)PT schemes upon request Quality Consult meets the needs of those laboratories that have specific requirements in terms of matrices, analytes and concentration levels, by organizing dedicated PT schemes if the number of participating laboratories is adequate. Specific requests should be addressed to qualityconsult@aqc.it. Reference materials (Quality Control Materials – QCMs) analysed within PT schemes organized by Quality Consult represent a valuable tool that can be used for building and maintenance of Control Charts. Since 2006, Quality Consult offers a consultancy service for analytical quality control charts by sending QC PT schemes left over Reference Materials and providing an electronic format for control chart building and related technical advice. Reference Materials analyzed within QC Programme (2004-2009) PT schemes are available for this service. Laboratories may use these Reference Materials appropriately also for the external evaluation of their analytical performance. Quality Consult gives the opportunity to those laboratories that have not participated in current or previous PT schemes to evaluate their analytical quality performance, by analysing Reference Materials that were analyzed in previous proficiency testing exercises (concentration levels unknown to the customers) and related assignment of Z-score by Quality Consult. In addition, these Reference Materials could be used by the participants of the QC permanent PT programme not obtaining
a satisfactory evaluation, in way to carry out corrective actions. Virtual Institute for Reference Material (VIRM). The Virtual Institute for Reference Materials VIRM was founded in 2004 with the support of European Commission and, from 2008, belongs to the Quality Consult, which is responsible for the overall management. Aim of the Virtual Institute for Reference Materials is to facilitate dissemination of information, knowledge, advice and support in the recruitment and use of reference materials and related themes, providing a regularly updated online advanced search engine. It involves a consortium of experts from all over Europe, covering R&D organizations, governmental and private laboratories, RM producers and industry. Aim of the Virtual Institute for Reference Materials (VIRM) is to provide an indispensable tool for the Quality Control of analytical and physical measurements. The VIRM also acts as a training center, harmonization and discussion on topics of QA / QC of analytical measurements. The innovative character of VIRM consists in its virtual structure, combining a minimal logistic infrastructure with the maximal effectiveness of a Worldwide ICT network. VIRM offers a broad range of useful tools in the field of Reference Materials and Quality Control:
The database of reference materials (both certified and not certified) contains nowadays more than 4.400 (C)RMs (from environmental, food, pharmaceutical and other) with more than 28.000 records of information (analytes, certified value, etc). Within the frame of projects funded by the European Commission, Quality Consult has organized in recent years a series of training courses devoted to operators from public, private and research laboratories, both from European and extra-European countries. |
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