Proceedings of an open forum to discuss issues in laboratory accreditation, including possible ways for achieving greater compatibility, coordination, & mutual recognition of competent laboratory accreditations. Heard reports from various sectors tin order to arrive at some consensus on the need to improve the current situation & infrastructure for laboratory accreditation in the U.S. Sectors included: laboratories, accreditors, manufacturers, government (both federal & states), standards organizations, & international trade experts.

This book provides descriptions of current laboratory accreditation schemes and explains why these schemes fall short of assuring data purchasers that the data produced from accredited laboratories are always quality products. The book then presents a system for laboratory accreditation in conjunction with data certification that assures data purchasers their data are useful for the purposes for which they are intended. Simple quality assurance and quality control techniques, in addition to concepts of total quality management, are described and then applied to the environmental laboratory industry. This "System For Success" was developed from real problems and real solutions within the industry and represents an integration of proven techniques that offer a better way to ensure quality laboratory data is obtained. Laboratory Accreditation: A Workable Solution is a must for government officials, environmental professionals, independent environmental laboratories, hazardous waste disposal industries, chemical manufacturers, QA professionals, and testing laboratories.