Accreditation and recognition of soil sampling evidence of competence for testing laboratories in Germany

Quality assurance is an essential requirement in many areas of soil testing . Soil sampling plays an important role in soil investigation. One importan t quality assurance measure is evidence of the competence of institutions o ffering sampling services (testing laboratories) to carry out appropriate s ampling. A special quality assurance procedure has been developed in the co urse of the investigation and assessment of suspected and contaminated site s on federal property. Testing laboratories are granted official recognitio n by an independent competent institution, based on well-defined criteria w ith regard to testing methodology and the qualifications held by the person nel. A prerequisite for such recognition is an effective accreditation proc edure. Currently only testing laboratories with recognised status are commi ssioned for work on contaminated sites on federal property. (C) 2001 Elsevi er Science B.V. All rights reserved.