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Home My WebLink About#5457_06_2014_final INSPECTION REPORT ROUTING SHEET To be attached to all inspection reports in-house only. Laboratory Cert. #: 5457 Laboratory Name: Southern States Chemical Inspection Type: Field Maintenance Inspector Name(s): Todd Crawford Inspection Date: June 18, 2014 Date Report Completed: June 23, 2014 Date Forwarded to Reviewer: June 23, 2014 Reviewed by: Jason Smith Date Review Completed: July 11, 2014 Cover Letter to use: Insp. Initial Insp. Reg. Insp. No Finding Insp. CP Corrected Unit Supervisor/Chemist III: Dana Satterwhite Date Received: 7/11/2014 Date Forwarded to Linda: 7/16/2014 Date Mailed: 7/16/2014 _____________________________________________________________________ On-Site Inspection Report LABORATORY NAME: Southern States Chemical NC GENERAL PERMIT #: NCG00000 ADDRESS: 4620 Hwy. 421 N Wilmington, NC 28401 CERTIFICATE #: 5457 DATE OF INSPECTION: June 18, 2014 TYPE OF INSPECTION: Field Maintenance AUDITOR(S): Todd Crawford LOCAL PERSON(S) CONTACTED: Buddy Malpass, Randy Moore, Gail Penny and Brad Smock I. INTRODUCTION: This laboratory was inspected by a representative of the North Carolina Wastewater/Groundwater Laboratory Certification (NC WW/GW LC) program to verify its compliance with the requirements of 15A NCAC 2H .0800 for the analysis of environmental samples. II. GENERAL COMMENTS: The laboratory was clean and well organized. The facility has all the equipment necessary to perform the analyses. Records were also well organized and quickly retrieved upon request. Proficiency Testing (PT) samples for the 2014 proficiency testing calendar year have not yet been analyzed. The laboratory is reminded that these results must be submitted to this office directly from the vendor by September 30, 2014. Current quality assurance policies for Field Laboratories and approved procedures for the analysis of the facility’s currently certified parameters were provided at the time of the inspection. Contracted analyses are performed by Element One, Inc. (Certification #604). III. FINDINGS, REQUIREMENTS, COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Documentation A. Finding: The facility needs to increase the documentation of purchased materials and reagents. Requirement: All chemicals, reagents, standards and consumables used by the laboratory must have the following information documented: Date Received, Date Opened (in use), Vendor, Lot Number, and Expiration Date. A system (e.g., traceable identifiers) must be in place that links standard/reagent information to analytical batches in which the solutions are used. This information as well as the vendor and/or manufacturer, lot number, and expiration date must be retained for chemicals, reagents, standards and consumables used for a period of five years. Page 2 #5457 Southern States Chemical Consumable materials such as pH buffers and lots of pre-made standards are included in this requirement. Ref: Quality Assurance Policies for Field Laboratories. Comment: The laboratory was maintaining the certificates of analysis that come with the pH buffers. The certificates included manufacturer, lot number and expiration date information. The date received was written on it. The date opened was only being written on the bottle, which is discarded when empty. Including the date opened/put in use information on the certificate of analysis would satisfy this requirement. pH – Standard Methods, 4500 H+ B-2000 Comment: A calibration check buffer was not being analyzed after the calibration. The NC WW/GW LC Approved Procedure for the Analysis of pH document states: In addition to the calibration standards, the meter must be verified with a third calibration standard (e.g., pH 7 buffer). In order to meet the above-specified criteria, the standard must read within a range of pH 6.9 to 7.1 to be acceptable . Notification of acceptable corrective action (i.e., a statement that the benchsheet prepared by the auditor, which contains space for documenting the value of the calibration check buffer, has been implemented) was received via email on June 23, 2014. No further response is necessary for this finding. Comment: The analysis time was not being documented. The NC WW/GW LC Approved Procedure for the Analysis of pH document states: The following must be documented in indelible ink whenever sample analysis is performed: Date and time of sample analysis to verify the 15 minute holding time is met. Alternatively, one time may be documented for collection and analysis with the notation that samples are measured in situ or immediately at the sample site. Notification of acceptable corrective action (i.e., a statement that the benchsheet prepared by the auditor, which contains space for documenting the sample analysis time, has been implemented) was received via email on June 23, 2014. No further response is necessary for this finding. Temperature – Standard Methods, 2550 B-2000 Comment: The thermometer used to obtain temperature reading was not identified on the fieldsheets. The NC WW/GW LC Approved Procedure for the Analysis of Temperature document states: The following must be documented in indelible ink whenever sample analysis is performed: Instrument identification. This requirement is a new policy that has been implemented by our program since the last inspection. Notification of acceptable corrective action (i.e., a statement that the benchsheet prepared by the auditor, which contains space for documenting thermometer ID, has been implemented) was received via email on June 23, 2014. No further response is necessary for this finding. B. Finding: The thermometer used to obtain compliance temperature values has not been checked against a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable thermometer. Requirement: Thermometers and temperature measuring devices, used to measure temperature for compliance monitoring, must be checked every 12 months against a NIST traceable thermometer. The thermometer/meter readings must be less than or equal to 1ºC from the NIST traceable thermometer reading. The documentation must include the serial number of the NIST traceable thermometer that was used in the comparison Ref: NC W W/GW LC Approved Procedure for the Analysis of Temperature. Requirement: Document any correction that applies on both the thermometer/meter and on a separate sheet to be filed. Ref: NC WW/GW LC Approved Procedure for the Analysis of Temperature. Page 3 #5457 Southern States Chemical IV. PAPER TRAIL INVESTIGATION: No paper trail performed. This facility has a monitoring requirement only and does not submit Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs). V. CONCLUSIONS: Correcting the above-cited findings will help this lab to produce quality data and meet certification requirements. The inspector would like to thank the staff for its assistance during the inspection and data review process. Please respond to all findings. Report prepared by: Todd Crawford Date: June 23, 2014 Report reviewed by: Jason Smith Date: July 11, 2014