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USEPA QUALITY ASSURANCE AUDITOR IS SCHEDULED FOR A VISIT. WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
Citation:
Childers, L. USEPA QUALITY ASSURANCE AUDITOR IS SCHEDULED FOR A VISIT. WHAT CAN I EXPECT? U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/A-95/146 (NTIS PB96139134).
Description:
Environmental studies involving data collection activities conducted by or for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) are required to undergo a review of their data collection activities. his review is usually in the form of an independent quality assurance (QA) audit. hose studies involving open-path Fourier transform infrared (OP/FTIR) monitoring are also expected to meet this requirement. his technology, however, presents special challenges for both the instrument operator and the QA auditor. irst, the instrumentation and data analysis methods are evolving. econdly, research conducted in the area of QA has not yet produced agreed-upon procedures. inally, the use of this instrumentation for USEPA-sponsored studies is fairly new. s a result, many QA auditors will have limited experience in conducting audits on OP/FTIR systems. egardless of the technology used to collect environmental measurements, the QA auditor will expect the field team to develop an adequate QA program before beginning any data-collection activities. o help evaluate the effectiveness of QA programs designed for OP/FTIR studies, an audit questionnaire was developed. his questionnaire provides a meaningful tool in assessing the study's compliance with Agency and laboratory QA requirements and currently accepted quality control (QC) procedures. his paper introduces this audit questionnaire and discusses the basis for its development.