Laboratory Follow Up and Corrective Action Checklist

Date:__________________

Laboratory: ___________________

 

  1. ICL Measurement Parameter, Range, Uncertainty
     
  2. Was any follow up or corrective action recommended as a part of the written analysis or the group discussion?

 

 

  1. Was the reported uncertainty comparable to other laboratory values?  Was k=2 used?  If at the high end of the uncertainties, why?  Could a better procedure or instrument have been used?  If at the low end, was the value calculated correctly?  Why is it smaller than the values reported by other laboratories?

 

 

 

  1. Was a precision test conducted as a part of the analysis?  Were there any ranges with unacceptable results?  Why?  If it wasn't conducted, conduct it now:  the calculation evaluates the reported (expanded at k=2) uncertainty against the tolerances required for the equipment with any uncertainty to tolerance ratios considered.  Was the uncertainty reported acceptable for the level of work?  Could it be improved with different equipment or procedures?  Was a precision calibration done when not requested as a part of the ILC?

 

 

 

  1. Was a Youden analysis or En analysis conducted?  Were the reported values outside the circle on the Youden chart or was the En value greater than 1?  If values were outside the circle or the E(n) value is greater than 1, this indicates a measurement bias.  Was bias observed on other types of charts?  If a bias was present, are there any overriding reasons for it?  An investigation generally needs to be conducted looking for common errors and problems:  e.g., apparent mass vs brass rather than conventional mass, incorrect values for the standard used, errors in software used for calculations, deviations from SOPs (using tap water for gravimetric calibration), need for calibration of standards.

 

 

 

  1. Conduct an investigation of bias (even if values passed the Youden and E(n) analyses) against internal calibrations, control charts, PMAP charts, previous round robin results or recent calibrations to find out if there is correlation of the ILC data with internal laboratory data.
     
  2. Are there corrective actions that need to be taken by the laboratory now?  By what deadline will concerns be resolved?

 

 

 

  1. Enter summary data into a tracking system (such as PMAP) to track bias on specific standards over time (e.g., 1 kg).