Warren, Mi
In Warren, Michigan, "Wanda" worked for an environmental company who did asbestos testing for an elementary school—which typically requires an accredited lab per regulations. But what does that mean? PEL Labs is proud to carry accreditation by NVLAP, the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program! Our laboratory accreditation code under the NVLAP program is 600205-0. What does this demonstration of third-party-verified capability mean for you?
First off, NVLAP accreditation is a requirement for any lab to perform any analysis of samples subject to AHERA (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act), a 1986 act of Congress also known as 40 CFR 763 Subpart E. This rule governs the process of discovering, and then the maintenance and removal of asbestos containing materials (ACM) in all public and private primary and secondary schools in the US. This act requires any analysis of potential ACM (PACM) materials be performed by a lab qualified to do so by the NVLAP accreditation program, which we are proudly part of.
Beyond that requirement, it is important to understand that many commercial and government jobs optionally require NVLAP accreditation for their bulk samples. As with Wanda's case for doing asbestos testing with the school in Warren, Michigan, an accredited laboratory is required for the best analysis possible for such critical locations. Now, most non-school commercial, industrial, and multi-unit residential fall under the governance of the NESHAP act (National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, 40 CFR 61 Subpart M) for emission control, and OSHA 1910.1001 for worker protection. Neither of these acts requires NVLAP or any other certification for bulk sample analysis. Since no other major certification for bulk sample analysis exists, many commercial and governmental entities require NVLAP certification as part of their standard RFQs — nobody wants this vitally important health and safety information produced by laboratories that have absolutely no verification of data quality or regulatory compliance, and no ongoing accountability to the results they produce. This is one of the reasons that the laboratory you choose for your asbestos analysis should be accredited by NVLAP.
What does the NVLAP accreditation mean? There are two major components to the accreditation. There is proficiency testing, and there are onsite audits.
The proficiency testing consists of two yearly sets of four samples each. Every laboratory that has or is seeking NVLAP accreditation is required to participate and submit one set of results for the laboratory to the group responsible for the testing program, RTI (Research Triangle Institute). This pool of results from all labs is compiled and any deviations from acceptable results values are assigned error points for the lab. Minor errors can be as few as 10 error points, while major errors can be as many as 150 points. Any accrual of 150 error points is considered a round failure. Each round also has a retest round available for labs that had a failure occur. A lab that fails two or more consecutive rounds can have their accreditation suspended or revoked by NVLAP. PEL Labs of Ann Arbor is proud to report that we have accrued only a total of 80 error points over our last four rounds, which obviously means that we have had no failures, and have not needed to participate in any of the retest rounds, and our accreditation status has not been in doubt. This all means that you can have confidence that our results are produced by analysts who have demonstrated the ability to perform your analysis.
The onsite audits take place once every two years for ordinary ongoing surveillance audits, and more frequently for new labs or labs that have demonstrated that they require significantly more follow up to ensure compliance. PEL labs is proud to note that our most recent audits were completed in October 2022 and September 2024 (next audit expected in late 2026), with no nonconformities noted at either audit. The fact that an expert-level outside assessor was able to decide that our processes, procedures, and facilities are entirely aligned with NVLAP 150 and 150-3, which are intended to be aligned with ISO 17025, the international standard governing testing and certification laboratories, is a real point of pride for us, and should give you confidence that any work we do is going to be done right. This reassured Wanda that her asbestos testing project in Warren, Michigan would be in the best hands. And we hope it helped you feel better as well! If you have any questions about our accreditations or processes, just call or email us. We're always ready and eager to answer any questions.