VOLUNTEER NEWS

AIHA LAP Welcomes New Volunteers

The AAB/TAP Appointment Committee interviewed and vetted a group of extremely qualified candidates and provided a list of recommended appointees to the AAB and TAP to the Board that was approved in December 2024. We are pleased to announce the newly appointed and reappointed AAB and TAP members whose terms began on March 1.

AAB:

  • Amin Maharaj – EMLAP, Unique Scopes
  • Ronnee Andrews – IHLAP
  • Julie Dickerson – IHLAP, ELLAP, EMLAP
  • Chandrani Mukherjee – IHLAP, ELLAP, Unique Scopes

TAP:

  • Gloria V. Oriol-Aguilar – EMLAP
  • Joshua Snyder – EMLAP
  • Julia Baur – IHLAP
  • Lorraine Barclay – IHLAP
  • Salima Haniff – IHLAP, FoodLAP
  • Sara Kern – EMLAP
  • Christabel Monteiro – EMLAP, FoodLAP

TAP Reappointments:

  • Sheetal Patel – IHLAP
  • Jeannine King – IHLAP

A big thank you to those outstanding people leaving our volunteer ranks: AAB members Patrick Dunn and Dan Shelby and TAP members Crystal Sugarman, Jason Forbes and Laura Melton.

Kudos to this year’s AAB and TAP Appointment Committee and Olena Bulgakova who was the staff manager of this group.

2025 Virtual Annual Meeting

AIHA LAP hosted a very successful Virtual Annual Meeting on March 28. The LAP Team provided updates on 2024 year-end activities/metrics, quality systems efforts including risks and opportunities and data management upgrades. Invited guests David Clawson from AIHA PAT Programs reported on new PT programs and plans and Martin Harper gave a very comprehensive update on the work of AIHA's Standards Advisory Panel. We also heard from William O’Neill from the Standards Council of Canada about AI's role in accreditation. Reports were also given by the leaders of the Analytical Accreditation Board Bharati Lakshmi and the Technical Advisory Panel Tracey Earle and the Chief Site Assessor Gary Griffin. Participants also heard about LAP’s special projects on sensor testing and training.


IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR LABORATORIES

Changes to Lead Program Trigger Policy Changes/New Site Assessor Checklist

On November 12, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published new lead dust levels for samples collected in HUD-defined target housing. To continue accreditation compliance with EPA, the updated EPA Laboratory Quality Assurance Requirements (LQSR version 4.0), was incorporated into the Site Assessment Checklist (SA Checklist) and affected Policy Modules.

Changes to SA Checklist and Policy Modules were released on January 10, 2025:

  1. SA Checklist:
    1. ELLAP tab updated with LQSR
    2. 2C Table tabs updated
  2. Policy Module 2C – ELLAP:
    1. LQSR reference changed from 3.0 to 4.0
    2. EPA Web Link updated to point to the new LQSR
  3. Policy Module 9 - Terms & Acronyms
    1. Quality Manager – explain that the QM can be a contracted position as long as they are qualified, per the LQSR. Since some IH labs only have one qualified analyst for a particular FoT, they might have the need to contract those responsibilities.
    2. Quantitation Limit – is the same as Reporting Limit

What does this mean for ELLAP labs?

  • An email with more detailed technical information was sent to all ELLAP labs explaining the policy changes and the new reporting limits and MD limits.
  • All ELLAP labs, including those that will not be assessed until 2026, will be expected to comply with the new ELLAP policies and demonstrate that they can meet new dust lead levels.
  • LQSR v.4 now references ASTM E1583−21a, a copy of which can be obtained here: https://www.astm.org/e1583-21a.html

What does this mean for IHLAP, EMLAP, FoodLAP, and Unique Scopes labs?

While these updates were made for the ELLAP labs, all AIHA LAP labs must use the updated SA Checklist, which is available in each laboratory’s Document Library.

  • All reaccreditation applications must use the updated SA Checklist and all site assessments that take place this year will be assessed using the updated SA Checklist.
  • All internal audits and master document lists maintained by labs must use/reference the updated SA Checklist.

For more information on the Checklist and Policy Changes, please contact Lauren Schnack at lschnack@aiha.org.

Updated Scope/PT Table

Please be aware that NSI Solutions and Absolute Standards, Inc. have been added for Cannabis under the Unique Scopes to the Scope/PT Table. Please visit the AIHA LAP Proficiency Testing Programs web page to review the updated scope/PT table.

PT Report Submissions Reminder

All AIHA LAP accredited laboratories must continue to submit their scored PT reports through AIHA LAP’s DMS per Policy Module 6 (6.5.2). Laboratories have approximately 45 business days after PT results are received by the lab to submit the round information and documentation to LAP. Staff update PT records monthly, and submitted PT should display in a laboratory’s proficiency testing summary report within 20 business days of receipt. Please contact an accreditation specialist with any questions you have regarding PT report submission.

PAT Programs’ Mercury PT Now Available

Late last year, AIHA PAT Programs announced a new proficiency testing program for the analysis of mercury. Suitable methods for this program are NIOSH 6009 and OSHA ID-140 by Cold Vapor AA, or modified methods that use ICP-MS with Hydride Generator or ICP-OES with Hydride Generator. Four SKC 226-17-1A solid sorbent tubes are sent per round and the rounds take place in January, April, July, and October. The range of the program is 0.1 µg to 1.2 µg per sample. For more information, please contact AIHA PAT programs at info.PATLLC@aiha.org.

Accredit Your Mobile Laboratory

In 2023, AIHA LAP released Policy Module 2G and ancillary documents for the Beryllium Field/Mobile Accreditation Program. Like AIHA LAP’s Industrial Hygiene Laboratory Accreditation Program (IHLAP), Module 2B allows LAP to accredit mobile units or field operations that specifically analyze beryllium. These field/mobile units, which each hold their own accreditation and lab ID, demonstrate that they operate like fixed site operations and meet all accreditation requirements including PT. Their quality management systems, which can be shared with other field/mobile operations, are generally tied to a fixed-site accredited laboratory.

Our laboratory customers should know that LAP has other ways to accredit mobile labs. Any single mobile laboratory meeting all ISO 17025:2017 and AIHA LAP requirements can seek accreditation under any LAP program. We can also add a mobile laboratory to an existing accreditation as a field of testing (this has already been done under the EMLAP program).

Contact us if you are interested in mobile accreditation so that we can discuss your options.


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Global Accreditation Entity

As reported last year, members of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) approved the constitution and general rules to form a single accreditation entity and officially started the registration process for this entity in New Zealand. The merged accreditation cooperation is expected to become operational and take over the roles of IAF and ILAC in early 2026. This change will impact the certificates that AIHA LAP issues, which now bear the ILAC mark, and once information is made available from the new entity, AIHA LAP will announce how it will transition to the new mark and replace the ILAC mark on its accreditation certificates.

Change in AIHA LAP’s IAAC Membership Status

Please note that as of December 31, 2024, AIHA LAP is no longer a signatory of the Inter American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) Multi-lateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA), having decided to maintain its ILAC recognition through only one ILAC regional body, the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC). In March 2025, IAAC’s General Assembly approved AIHA LAP as an associate member. We look forward to continuing a positive relationship with IAAC and attending its meetings in the years to come.

World Accreditation Day 2025

World Accreditation Day is June 9. Organized by the IAF and ILAC, WAD focuses on how accreditation supports sustainable development, enhances consumer confidence, and fosters innovation and environmental protection. A WAD 2025 video is now available from the IAF/ILAC YouTube channel or https://youtu.be/VSZHDfhdhFo .

AIHA LAP is looking forward to WAD this year as we will join our international counterparts in celebrating accreditation and the important role it plays for small and medium-sized businesses. We will announce our 2025 Awards for Volunteers and Site Assessors that day and share other important news.

More Site Assessors Sought

AIHA LAP continues to look for new site assessors. As an AIHA LAP site assessor, you will have opportunities to visit laboratory sites all over the world, auditing them to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and AIHA LAP policies. AIHA LAP will provide in-person audit skills training needed to help candidates understand our policies and get started. The next training session will be conducted in the Fall and will involve some virtual self-paced learning and in-person audit skills training. If you would like more information or want to receive an application, please contact Cheryl Morton.


STAFF NEWS

AIHA LAP is pleased to announce that Keelyn Crossin and Taylor Adams were both promoted to Senior Accreditation Specialists in January 2025. Both continue to do outstanding work processing applications but have taken on new roles with the LAP data management system and Smartsheet development. Congratulations, Keelyn and Taylor!

Newly Accredited Programs/Labs

The following labs are newly accredited or added new scopes to their accreditation in Quarter 1 of 2025.

To review the full list of our newly accredited and reaccredited labs each month, please go to the AIHA LAP Directory.