TRAINING PROGRAMME ON

LAB MANAGEMENT
FROM 6th to 8th SEPTEMBER, 2006

SUBMITTED TO

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, (WHO) & UNITED STATE ENVIORNMENT PROTECTION AGNECY, (USEPA)

SUBMITTED BY

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION TRAINING AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE, (EPTRI), GACHIBOWLI, HYDERABAD. ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA

Report on the Training Program on Lab Management

The training course on Lab Management , for the Lab Managers was conducted during 6th 8th September 2006, following objectives. by EPTRI, sponsored by WHO and USEPA, with the

1. To learn role of lab manager in generation of water quality data 2. To begin development of lab management plan for respective lab 3. To network with other Lab Managers. A total of 20 participants have attended the program. The list of participants is placed at Annex I. Dr. Razia Sultana , Scientist C and Manager Capacity Building welcomed the gathering. The program was inaugurated by Ms. Gayathri Ramachandran, IAS, Director General, EPTRI & Special Chief Secretary to Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. In her inaugural address she mentioned that how

important this training program is for the laboratory managers. She

emphasized on to generate quality data timely and to produce before the concerned officer , specially during the epidemics time. She also informed that how useful is net working with other labs. Mr. Samuel Hess in his address informed about his organization and their activities. The over view of the program was presented by Dr.Razia sultana. She mentioned that NEERI has prepared the Guidance Manual for

water quality monitoring and assessment (chemical analysis and biological analysis ) and NICD has drafted manual on APW on Development of Manual for Certification of Laboratories Analyzing Drinking Water: Critical Elements for Microbiology under the sponsorship of USEPA and WHO. These two manuals have been provided to all the participants as back ground course material , keeping in view that each individual analysts handles chemical, biological and microbiological analysis. The first training in the series of trainings is on Lab Management for Lab Managers. She briefed the topics which will be covered in the three day course and also mentioned that two more programs , one on Chemical analysis and the other one on Microbiological analysis will be conducted during September 2006. After briefing about the program , vote of thanks was proposed by her. The program schedule is placed at Annex II. Speakers presentation is at Annex III. The session on Lab organization for water quality analysis ( physico chemical) was handled by Mr. Samuel L. Hayes, from USEPA. The points discussed in detail in this session are

organigram of laboratories dealing with water quality assessment,

laboratory personnel, job description of lab personnel, of laborganizational functional organizational

structure

responsibilities,

structure for regional / zonal lab, functional responsibilities, roles and responsibilities of personnel related to quality system.

Lab organization for water quality analysis and Facilities Required to set up water quality lab (microbiological) was dealt by Dr.M.A.Singaracharya, Professor, Kakatiya University. Important Instruments required to establish Microbiology Laboratory are 1. Microbial Culture Cabin 2. Autoclave/Steam sterilizer 10.Anaerobic digester 11. Fermenter

3. Laminar Airflow 4. Hot Air Oven/Incubator 5. UV/VIS spectrophotometer 6. Membrane Filtration System 7. Nephlo Turbidity meter 8. Electrophoresis Unit 9. Ultracentrifuge

12. BOD Incubator 13. pH meter 14. Conductivity bridge 15. Staining racks 16. Gyratory Shaker 17. Microscopes 18. Colony counter

The important Microbial Examinations are Heterotrophic Plate count ,

Multiple Tube

fermentation , Faecal Streptococcus group, Coliform group, Pathogenic microorganisms, Enteric viruses, Fungi, Actinomycetes, Iron and sulphur bacteria

Dr.Neeta Thaker from NEERI, required to set-up water

explained on Organisation setup and facilities quality

laboratory (physico chemical) . She explained in detail water quality

assessment lab net work, functions of a water quality lab, different factors to estimate the need in terms of human resources, organizational set up,

organizational structure of the lab, lab management, performance and capabilities of lab, responsibilities of various labs, lab occupational health and safety, collection and preservation of samples, water quality parameters ( physico chemical, organic, metals, biological and micro biological )

Training and management of staff (All members should be trained in those aspects of the quality system that are related to the performance of their job. All of them should receive training in Health and Safety Plan, and the Waste Management Plan. If any changes occur in the quality system, field sampling, measurement and administrative procedures, suitable training should be provided to the concerned staff. Action should be

implemented by the QAO. Records of training shall be maintained by the QAO as part of the permanent record. ) The session on Instruments and equipments needed for setting up water quality lab was dealt by Dr.Razia Sultana, EPTRI. She gave the details of the list of basic equipments needed for setting up physico chemical and microbiological lab with its functioning and usage.

Calibration / maintenance of basic equipment by Mr. Samuel. L. Hayes was dealt in detail regarding various calibration techniques and their importance in the maintenance of basic equipments.

Mr. Samuel. L. Hayes made presentation on Lab safety, QA / QC procedures for basic equipment. In his talk he mentioned that a written plan consisting of policies, procedures and responsibilities designed to provide employees with chemical, health, and safety information outlining the specific work practices and procedures (SOPs) used by the facility to control occupational exposure which will help to ensure that the everyone works in a safe laboratory environment. All procedures and policies need to be documented in Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) and all the employees need to be well informed and trained in facility alarms and emergency numbers, evacuation procedures (fire, spills, etc), how to handle spills (large and small), how to respond to

accidents/medical emergencies, how to report accidents (large and small). Hazards of chemicals and bio hazard to be informed to every person working in lab. He also mentioned about the maintenance of basic instruments its calibration, standardization, frequencies, monitoring etc.

Standard

Operating

Procedures

and

electronic files was presented by Mr. D.S.S.Srinivas, EPTRI, Quality Control Manager. He emphasized that each SOP must include or cite a reference where

applicable as identification of the test method (if SOP is based on published method), applicable matrix or matrices , method used to establish the lowest limit of analytical capability, scope and application, including parameters to be analyzed, summary of the test method, definitions, interferences, safety, equipment and supplies, reagents and standards, sample collection, preservation, shipment, and storage, quality control, calibration and standardization, procedure, calculations, method performance, pollution prevention, data assessment and acceptance criteria for quality control measures, corrective actions for out-of-control data, contingencies for handling out-of-control or unacceptable data, waste management, references and any tables, diagrams, flowcharts, and validation data.

Record keeping / Data tracking was dealt by Dr. Sesha Srinivas, EPTRI, Scientist. He mentioned documents that that records provide are the

objective

proof that all work was carried out and reported procedures. reports according to approved

All laboratory records, other supporting

and

documentation should be safely stored as hardcopy or electronic records, held secure and in confidence for the client. The system should cover those records currently in use by the analyst (e.g., log books, sample receipt records, bench sheets, calibration and QC records), recently completed project records (e.g., work completed in the last six months) and archival records removed from daily access but in a readily retrievable location. Types of materials that constitute laboratory records include, equipment maintenance records, instrument logbooks, instrument calibration data, standard preparation logbooks, certificates of purity/composition for all standards and reference materials, standard operating procedures, project correspondence including phone logs, project-specific instructions and/or SOPs, chain-of-custody forms, calibration records, raw analytical data, both electronic and handwritten, results, and final client reports.

In the case of electronic records, the laboratory should maintain the documentation showing that software is adequate for its intended use, procedures are established and implemented for protecting the integrity of electronic media data in terms of data entry, capture, storage, transmission and processing, computers and automated equipment are maintained to ensure proper functioning and the environmental and operating conditions necessary to maintain the integrity of calibration and analytical data, security of data, including the prevention of unauthorized access and modification of computer data, is maintained, records that are stored or generated by computers or personal computers have hard copy or write-protected backup copies in a safe and secure location, and records that are stored only on electronic media must be supported by the hardware necessary for their retrieval.

The session on Lab Accreditation / proficiency testing was taken by Mr. Samuel. L. Hayes . He mentioned that the lab accreditation should have a policy and structure which needs to define and describe an overview of the history, purpose and objectives of laboratory certification and proficiency testing, the organizational structure and function of certifying agency or authority (CA), and the roles of the various participants, need to define the major participating organizations (oversight body, providers, participants, etc.), requirements Proficiency Testing (PT) program. The Accreditation process, need to outline the policies, procedures, and process to grant, deny, suspend, or revoke a laboratory's accreditation based on criteria for personnel qualifications, the on-site assessment, proficiency testing results, quality assurance/quality control. A general description of requirements that a laboratory must follow to demonstrate that it can be recognized as competent to carry out specific environmental tests (defined in a Lab's Management Manual).

The participants were exposed to the state of art EPTRI laboratory.

Development of lab management and discussion on needs of Indian water quality labs as seen by trainees

This session was participatory and very informal. Ms. Lisa Patel took active part in knowing the pulse of the participants. Participants informed about their labs, working conditions and continuous need for training. During the valedictory program, the participants evaluated the program. The analysis of evaluation showed that 8% have rated satisfactory, 42% as good and 50% have rated excellent. Copies of evaluation sheet is at Annex IV. Certificates were presented to the participants by Mr. Samuel. L. Hayes.

Evaluation Training Program on "Lab Management" Percentage

60% 50% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Satisfactory Good Excellent 8% 42%

Recommendation The participants and the resource persons are of the opinion that the training programs should be organized regularly so that all the officers will have the opportunity to upgrade their knowledge and also to refresh them self.

Group Photo Training Program on Lab Management 6th 8th September 2006