Corrigendum to correct errors in RG_PT_v2_2020-06-16

Action required

Laboratories who have not been able to identify an accredited proficiency testing (PT) provider, and unaccredited PT provider, or an interlaboratory comparison program, should note that item 4 in section 6.2 of the SCC Requirements & Guidance – Proficiency Testing for Laboratories (RG-PT) allows for “intralaboratory comparison” as an alternative. The definitions sections of RG-PT have also been updated to provide a formal definition on “intralaboratory comparisons”.

Laboratories operating under the Agriculture Inputs, Food, Animal Health and Plant Protection Program Specialty Area (PSA-AFAP) should note that the participation frequency in section 8 of RG-PT has been clarified, and the frequency changed to a more appropriate level.

Affected customers

This revision affects customers in the laboratory accreditation program that use Intralaboratory Proficiency Testing as a replacement when no other options are available, along with laboratories under the Agriculture Inputs, Food, Animal Health and Plant Protection Program Specialty Area (PSA-AFAP).

Background

It was discovered that there were two errors made during development of the RG-PT document, and as such, this bulletin and re-issue of the document is to correct those errors. One error was in the incorrect use of the word “Interlaboratory” when it should have been “Intralaboratory”.

The second error relates to the frequency of PT for those accredited in the PSA-AFAP program. The frequency requirements were erroneously changed to two (2) per year instead of the one (1) per year it was in the previous version, after reviewing comments from program stakeholders.

New requirements

The Definitions section has corrected the second occurrence of “interlaboratory” to “intralaboratory”.

Section 6.2 now reads “Intralaboratory” instead of Interlaboratory, an error that was corrected. Please see “Action Required” above for further explanation.

Section 8.1 has been revised to read that for PSA-AFAP laboratories, only one participation is required per year. Please see Section 8.1 for more detail.

Deadline

The new requirements come into effect immediately.

Questions?

Please contact Abdel Kassou, Manager, Compliance and Assessment Services at abdel.kassou@scc-ccn.ca or +1 613 238 3222 for more information.