Licensing Agreement Issued
The revised Licensing Agreement and Advertising Policy Module, Module 7, were sent to all AIHA-accredited laboratories on November 6. The communication contained sample images of the revised logos. These logos will have to be used starting January 1, 2010. 

Laboratories that sign and return the Agreements will receive digital images of the logo for their use on laboratory reports and marketing materials.  For more information about the logos, contact Sage Morgante at smorgante@aiha.org.

Look for AIHA-LAP, LLC 2010 Invoices
Participants in AIHA LAP, LLC can expect to receive their 2010 annual invoices in the mail within the next 10 business days. Because of a newly-installed software package and the creation of the laboratory programs LLCs, the invoices are being mailed out later this year than in years past.

 We are pleased to report that fees have not been increased in 2010 for initial accreditation and filing; re-accreditation applications; or site assessments.  To help defray the cost of rising operating expenses, including those associated with our investment in international recognition, we increased the annual accreditation fee by a modest one hundred dollars. We also increased the fee for Field of Testing, FoT, additions by a hundred dollars.  

We urge you to carefully review your invoice when you receive it and immediately contact us if you need to participate in the monthly payment plan or make other special payment arrangements. For more information about your AIHA-LAP, LLC invoice, please contact Anthony Hodge at (703) 846-0796. 

Internal Audit Planned
AIHA LAP, LLC will undergo an internal audit at our headquarters on December 15-17, 2009. Our incoming Chief Site Assessor, Christine Kearney will be joined by AAB members Larry Pierce and Chris Powell to conduct this audit to ensure the AIHA-LAP LLC's compliance with ISO/IEC 17011.  The AAB members will receive a full report from the audit and staff will immediately address the findings with corrective actions as necessary. 

Staff to Attend APLAC Meeting
AIHA LAP, LLC Director Cheryl Morton and AIHA Executive Director Peter O'Neil will be attending the technical meetings and General Assembly of the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, APLAC, that will be held in Indonesia on December 5-10. 

This is a very important meeting as APLAC will consider AIHA LAP, LLC's application as an APLAC signatory under the APLAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement, MRA.  A regional cooperation of accreditation bodies, with a nexus to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation or ILAC, APLAC promotes international acceptance of endorsed test, calibration, and inspection reports and other documents issued by laboratories accredited by signatories to the APLAC MRA.   

AIHA LAP, LLC underwent an evaluation by several peer organizations from APLAC in July 2009 and the evaluation team is recommending that the LLC be recognized. Our accredited laboratories will be notified of the outcome of APLAC's deliberations immediately after the meeting.  For more information, please contact Cheryl Morton at cmorton@aiha.org or (703) 846-0789.

Policy Changes Planned for 2010
In response to some of the findings from the APLAC evaluation, AIHA LAP staff has been working with the Policy Task Force, the AAB and a few outside experts to finalize several major policy revisions and ancillary documents (e.g. accreditation application and Site Assessor Checklists) that will be published on the web site by December 31. 

New Measurement Uncertainty and Traceability policies which, like the other policies, application and Checklist, will be implemented by February 1, 2010. 

Within the next several days, AIHA-accredited laboratories can expect to receive an email announcing most of the changes planned.

NEFAB Appointment
Cheryl Morton was just appointed to serve on the National Environmental Field Accreditation Board, NEFAB. NEFAB was formed to establish a field measurement and sampling accreditation, FSMO, under the auspices of TNI-NELAC. Once the program requirements are set up, AIHA LAP, LLC and other qualified accreditation bodies, can be evaluated against NEFAB established criteria and allowed to accredit FSMOs on behalf of NELAC. For more information, please contact Cheryl  Morton at cmorton@aiha.org or (703) 846-0789.