ASTM_D_3856_-_11_2015.pdf

Designation:D385611(Reapproved 2015)Standard Guide forManagement Systems in Laboratories Engaged in Analysisof Water1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D3856;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide provides information on consensus goodlaboratory practices for laboratories that provide services in thesampling and analysis of water.As consensus standards,theseare the minimum criteria that all laboratories should consider inestablishing their good laboratory practices.This guide maynot be applicable to certain types of laboratories(e.g.,micro-bilogical).1.2 This guide is designed to be used by those responsiblefor the selection,operation,or control of laboratory organiza-tions engaged in sampling and analysis of water.1.3 This guide presents features of organization,facilities,resources,and operations which affect the usefulness of thedata generated.1.4 This guide presents criteria for selection and control ofthe features described in 1.3 and also makes recommendationsfor the correction of unacceptable performance.1.5 This guide describes methodology and practices in-tended to be completely consistent with the InternationalOrganization for Standardization(ISO)9000 series of stan-dards and Guide 25 1990(1).21.6 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas the standard.The values given in parentheses are forinformation only.1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:3D1129 Terminology Relating to WaterD1193 Specification for Reagent WaterD2777 Practice for Determination of Precision and Bias ofApplicable Test Methods of Committee D19 on WaterD3370 Practices for Sampling Water from Closed ConduitsD3694 Practices for Preparation of Sample Containers andfor Preservation of Organic ConstituentsD4210 Practice for Intralaboratory Quality Control Proce-dures and a Discussion on Reporting Low-Level Data(Withdrawn 2002)4D4375 Practice for Basic Statistics in Committee D19 onWaterD4447 Guide for Disposal of Laboratory Chemicals andSamplesD4840 Guide for Sample Chain-of-Custody ProceduresD4841 Practice for Estimation of Holding Time for WaterSamples Containing Organic and Inorganic ConstituentsD5172 Guide for Documenting the Standard Operating Pro-cedures Used for the Analysis of WaterD5847 Practice for Writing Quality Control Specificationsfor Standard Test Methods for Water AnalysisE456 Terminology Relating to Quality and StatisticsE548 Guide for General Criteria Used for Evaluating Labo-ratory Competence(Withdrawn 2002)43.Terminology3.1 For definitions of terms used in this guide,refer toTerminologies D1129,D4375,and E456,Guide E548,andASTM MNL 7(2).1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D19 on Water and isthe direct responsibility of Subcommittee D19.02 on Quality Systems,Specification,and Statistics.Current edition approved Dec.15,2015.Published December 2015.Originallyapproved in 1988.Last previous edition approved in 2011 as D3856 11.DOI:10.1520/D3856-11R15.2The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to the list of references at the end ofthis guide.3For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.4The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced onwww.astm.org.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 4.Summary of Guide4.1 This guide describes the criteria,guidelines,and recom-mendations for physical and human resources and data valida-tion for the operation of a laboratory.4.2 Although,philosophically,this guide is intended toapply to all analyses of water,there may be certain testmethods to which parts of this guide are not applicable due tothe nature of the samples,for example,microbiological analy-ses.5.Significance and Use5.1 Data on the composition and characteristics of water arefrequently used to evaluate the health and safety to humans andthe environment.5.2 Moreover,such data are frequently used for processcontrol or to ascertain compliance with regulatory statutes thatplace limits on acceptable compositions and characteristics ofwaters.5.3 Laboratories that conduct water sampling and generateanalytical data,and those persons who have the responsibilityfor selecting a laboratory to perform water quality studies,needto use criteria,guidelines,and r