ALTERNATIVE METHODS FOR INTERNAL QUALITY-CONTROL IN RESEARCH LABORATORIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL-ANALYSIS - A PROGRAM FOR THE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF EQUIPMENT, METHODS AND STAFF

In analytical research laboratories, the problem of quality assurance is more difficult to solve than in laboratories devoted exclusively to routine analysis: the former usually have to deal with a much greater variety of samples and may have to develop entirely new methods of an alysis. For research laboratories we have developed several alternativ e methods of quality assurance. These methods can be used to distingui sh between different analytical methods, between different types of eq uipment, between different levels of skill among laboratory technician s, or even between the performance of technicians of the same level of skill.