A Study on the on-site Assessment Results of Environmental Testing Laboratories

Quality control systems of environmental testing laboratories are operated on the basis of proficiency tests and on-site assessments conducted in nine fields of testing laboratories. In this study, the assessment results of quality control systems present in environmental testing laboratories are analyzed with respect to their conformance with international standards(ISO/IEC 17025). The assessment results of quality control systems of 357 environmental testing laboratories indicate that the majority of the targeted laboratories meet the conformity requirements but 10 laboratories do not meet the conformity requirements. According to the score distribution, the waste testing laboratory and persistent organic pollutants testing laboratory have the highest scores of 88.2 points and 87.6 points, respectively. The air quality testing laboratory and odor testing laboratory have the lowest scores of 82.3 points and 80.1 points. Furthermore, the overall average score has increased from 84.0 points in the year 2012 to 85.4 points in the year 2016. Key Words: Quality control, Proficiency test, On-site assessment, Quality system