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Home My WebLink About#5069 11-final INSPECTION REPORT ROUTING SHEET To be attached to all inspection reports in-house only. Laboratory Cert. #: #5069 Laboratory Name: Town of Smithfield Water Treatment Plant Inspection Type: Field Maintenance Inspector Name(s): Jeffrey R. Adams Inspection Date: September 28, 2011 Date Report Completed: October 5, 2011 Date Forwarded to Reviewer: October 5, 2011 Reviewed by: Jason Smith Date Review Completed: October 13, 2011 Cover Letter to use: Insp. Initial X Insp. Reg. Insp. No Finding Insp. CP __ Corrected Unit Supervisor: Dana Satterwhite Date Received: October 14, 2011 Date Forwarded to Linda October 21, 2011 Date Mailed: October 21, 2011 _____________________________________________________________________ On-Site Inspection Report LABORATORY NAME: Town of Smithfield Water Treatment Plant NPDES PERMIT #: NC0083348 ADDRESS: P.O. Box 761 Smithfield, NC 27577 CERTIFICATE #: 5069 DATE OF INSPECTION: September 28, 2011 TYPE OF INSPECTION: Field Maintenance AUDITOR(S): Jeffrey R. Adams LOCAL PERSON(S) CONTACTED: Judy Bateman and Ray Peal I. INTRODUCTION: This laboratory was inspected 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. Records were well organized and maintained according to the appropriate retention schedule, however, some quality control procedures need to be implemented. Proficiency testing samples have been analyzed for all certified parameters for the 2011 proficiency testing calendar year and the graded results were 100% acceptable. The laboratory was given a packet containing North Carolina Laboratory Certification quality control requirements and policies during the inspection. Findings A and B are new policies that have been implemented since the last inspection. III. FINDINGS, REQUIREMENTS, COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Traceability A. Finding: The laboratory needs to increase the documentation of purchased materials and reagents, as well as documentation of standards and reagents prepared in the laboratory. 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 preparation information to analytical batches in which the solutions are used. Documentation of solution preparation must include the analyst’s initials, date of preparation, the volume or weight of standard(s) used, the solvent and final volume of the solution. 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. Consumable materials such as pH buffers and lots of pre-made Page 2 #5069 Town of Smithfield Water Treatment Plant standards are included in this requirement. Ref: Quality Assurance Policies for Field Laboratories. Pipettors B. Finding: The auto-pipettors have not been calibrated annually as required. Requirement: Mechanical volumetric liquid-dispensing devices (e.g., fixed and adjustable auto- pipettors, bottle-top dispensers, etc.) must be calibrated at least every twelve months and documented. Each liquid-dispensing device must meet the manufacturer’s statement of accuracy. For variable volume devices used at more than one setting, check the accuracy at the maximum, middle and minimum values. Testing at more than three volumes is optional. When a device capable of variable settings is dedicated to dispense a single specific volume, calibration is required at that setting only. Ref: Quality Assurance Policies for Field Laboratories. A copy of the pipettor calibrations must be submitted with the response to this report. (Refer to the attachment titled, Calibration of Mechanical Volumetric Liquid-Dispensing Devices Procedure for an example procedure for calibration of liquid dispensing devices). IV. PAPER TRAIL INVESTIGATION: The paper trail consisted of comparing laboratory benchsheets and contract lab reports to Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) submitted to the North Carolina Division of Water Quality. Data were reviewed for the Town of Smithfield (NPDES permit #NC0083348) for the following months: June, July and August, 2011. No transcription errors were detected. It appears the laboratory is doing a good job of accurately transcribing data. 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: Jeffrey R. Adams Date: October 5, 2011 Report reviewed by: Jason Smith Date: October 13, 2011 Calibration of Mechanical Volumetric Liquid-Dispensing Devices Procedure A laboratory may use the following method for the gravimetric determination of measurement error of mechanical volumetric liquid-dispensing devices (e.g., fixed and adjustable auto-pipettors, bottle-top dispensers, etc.) used to dispense volumes greater than or equal to 100 μl. Apparatus and Equipment Weighing vessel (of sufficient capacity to hold all volumes dispensed for the test and a 3:1 height-to- diameter ratio is recommended to minimize evaporation) Reagent water (e.g., distilled or deionized water) Analytical balance (accurate to 0.0001 g for 100 μl to 10 ml, and accurate to 1 mg for 10 ml to 200 ml dispensed volumes) Calibrated thermometer (graduated, at a minimum, in 0.5 ºC increments) Documentation Requirements Date Analyst's signature or initials Device identification (if there is no unique identification such as serial number, assign a laboratory identification) Temperature of the reagent water Nominal or test volume Weights of dispensed volumes Procedure 1. Allow apparatus and reagent water to equilibrate to room temperature. 2. Check the calibration of the balance. 3. Wet the liquid-dispensing device and lubricate the piston insuring smooth operation by pipetting several volumes to waste. 4. Weigh the vessel and tare the balance. 5. Dispense a minimum of five aliquots of water into the vessel, weighing and recording the mass for each replicate. 6. Calculate the following: m = mean mass = total of individual weight measurements ÷ total number of measurements Z = Z correction factor obtained from Table 1 using the temperature of the test liquid and current barometric pressure. V = volume equivalent (or corrected volume) of mass measured = m x Z RE = relative error (%) = [Vm - Vo] x 100 Vo where: Vm = corrected mean volume = total of corrected volumes ÷ total number of dispensed volumes Vo = nominal or test volume S = standard deviation = For each replicate, subtract the mean volume from the corrected volume, then square the value. Sum the squared values of all replicates, and then divide the sum by n-1 (the number of measurements minus 1). Take the square root of this value to get the standard deviation. CV = coefficient of variation (%) = s x 100 Vm To simplify this process, spreadsheets for calculating and documenting the relative error and coefficient of variation can be found on the NC Wastewater/Groundwater Laboratory Certification (NC WW/GW LC) website at http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/lab/download.htm. The Relative Error (a measure of accuracy) and Coefficient of Variation (a measure of precision) must not be greater than the manufacturer's specifications. If the results are greater than the manufacturer's specification, repeat the procedure. If the results remain greater, follow the manufacturer's instructions for maintenance and adjustment and repeat the procedure. If repeated calibration attempts do not yield results within the manufacturer's specifications, the liquid-dispensing device must be repaired or replaced. Note: Microliter pipettors may need to be tested under more rigorously controlled conditions or sent to a calibration service for testing. Since most analytical balances used in environmental laboratories read to only four decimal places, it may be necessary, when checking microliter pipettors (less than 1000 μl), to include the weight of the weighing vessel in each replicate and subtract it and subsequent aliquots out manually in order to have a measurable mass for the purpose of this verification. Contact your auditor if you have questions. Rev. 03/2009 Table 1. Z Correction Factor Table. Temperat ure C Air pressure, kPa (mbar) 80 (800) 85 (850) 90 (900) 95 (950) 100 (1000) 101.3 (1013) 105 (1050) 15.0 1.0017 1.0018 1.0019 1.0019 1.0020 1.0020 1.0020 15.5 1.0018 1.0019 1.0019 1.0020 1.0020 1.0020 1.0021 16.0 1.0019 1.0020 1.0020 1.0021 1.0021 1.0021 1.0022 16.5 1.0020 1.0020 1.0021 1.0021 1.0022 1.0022 1.0022 17.0 1.0021 1.0021 1.0022 1.0022 1.0023 1.0023 1.0023 17.5 1.0022 1.0022 1.0023 1.0023 1.0024 1.0024 1.0024 18.0 1.0022 1.0023 1.0023 1.0024 1.0025 1.0025 1.0025 18.5 1.0023 1.0024 1.0024 1.0025 1.0025 1.0026 1.0026 19.0 1.0024 1.0025 1.0025 1.0026 1.0026 1.0027 1.0027 19.5 1.0025 1.0026 1.0026 1.0027 1.0027 1.0028 1.0028 20.0 1.0026 1.0027 1.0027 1.0028 1.0028 1.0029 1.0029 20.5 1.0027 1.0028 1.0028 1.0029 1.0029 1.0030 1.0030 21.0 1.0028 1.0029 1.0029 1.0030 1.0031 1.0031 1.0031 21.5 1.0030 1.0030 1.0031 1.0031 1.0032 1.0032 1.0032 22.0 1.0031 1.0031 1.0032 1.0032 1.0033 1.0033 1.0033 22.5 1.0032 1.0032 1.0033 1.0033 1.0034 1.0034 1.0034 23.0 1.0033 1.0033 1.0034 1.0034 1.0035 1.0035 1.0036 23.5 1.0034 1.0035 1.0035 1.0036 1.0036 1.0036 1.0037 24.0 1.0035 1.0036 1.0036 1.0037 1.0037 1.0038 1.0038 24.5 1.0037 1.0037 1.0038 1.0038 1.0039 1.0039 1.0039 25.0 1.0038 1.0038 1.0039 1.0039 1.0040 1.0040 1.0040 25.5 1.0039 1.0040 1.0040 1.0041 1.0041 1.0041 1.0042 26.0 1.0040 1.0041 1.0041 1.0042 1.0042 1.0043 1.0043 26.5 1.0042 1.0042 1.0043 1.0043 1.0044 1.0044 1.0044 27.0 1.0043 1.0044 1.0044 1.0045 1.0045 1.0045 1.0046 27.5 1.0045 1.0045 1.0046 1.0046 1.0047 1.0047 1.0047 28.0 1.0046 1.0046 1.0047 1.0047 1.0048 1.0048 1.0048 28.5 1.0047 1.0048 1.0048 1.0049 1.0049 1.0050 1.0050 29.0 1.0049 1.0049 1.0050 1.0050 1.0051 1.0051 1.0051 29.5 1.0050 1.0051 1.0051 1.0052 1.0052 1.0052 1.0053 30.0 1.0052 1.0052 1.0053 1.0053 1.0054 1.0054 1.0054 Z correction factors are for distilled water as a function of liquid test temperature and air pressure. Z values are in microliters per milligram. Reprinted from ISO 8655-6:2002(E). If your laboratory does not have a mercury barometer, the true local barometric pressure for locations throughout North Carolina may be obtained from the North Carolina State University, State Climate Office of North Carolina website at http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/.