This manual is designed to delineate the routine operation of the US EPA Region 4 Laboratory Services Branch and to describe the Branch's Quality System. The policies in this manual are intended only for the Laboratory Services Branch. While the policies may be informative for other laboratories, they may not be directly applicable to operations in other laboratories. The primary purpose of this document is to establish and maintain uniform operational and quality control guidance for regional analytical chemistry activities and quality assurance/quality control activities. The establishment of, and adherence to, uniform elements of an intra-laboratory quality control program are essential to the production of reliable analytical data.

This manual and the quality control protocols described herein are not to be viewed as all inclusive. Rather, they serve as a basic foundation on which to build a stronger quality assurance program within the Branch. Methodologies and some quality assurance documents are included by reference.

If you need additional information or assistance with this document, contact Jeffrey Hendel (hendel.jeffrey@epa.gov) at (706) 355-8839 or (706) 355-8501.

• LABORATORY SERVICES BRANCH LABORATORY OPERATIONS (PDF)(105 pp, 1 MB, April 24, 2020, ASBLOQAM)
  The purpose of this manual is to document the quality assurance policies and procedures of the USEPA, Region 4 Analytical Services Branch laboratory.