Lab proficiency testing

In desperate need of how to go about a laboratory proficiency testing plan.  I am completely clueless on this.

Through a 3rd party accredited or internally? 

I don't know.  Can we do it internally?  I don't see how that would be ok.  We already send off to a lab.  Not all our testing but monthly we send out samples.  If we already do that, would that be the proficiency testing.

Tell me about your lab and why you need proficiency. 

If you are sending samples out it is the lab that you are using that must show this testing for their personnel.

Hi irheavyd,

Proficiency testing schemes involve multiple laboratories testing the same material to allow a comparison of the results. Normally a site will ensure that all personnel that normally carry out this test method are involved in the scheme.

Based on satisfactory results your laboratory can demonstrate that the test procedures used are working effectively and equivalent to those used in other laboratories.

These schemes can be by collaboration of several laboratories or by subscribing to an accredited laboratory proficiency scheme.

See this example here: Food and Animal Feed Schemes

Kind regards,

Tony

In desperate need of how to go about a laboratory proficiency testing plan.  I am completely clueless on this.

Do you make safety decisions based on plates or cultures prepared and read by your internal staff? Which lots are acceptable to release, that sort of thing.

If so then you will need the people performing those tasks to have proficiency testing -- often a requirement of GFSI schemes and other certifications.

For example, we send our environmental monitoring samples for Listeria out to a third party because we don't want to potentially culture pathogens at our internal lab, but we still do internal testing for counts of yeast and mold, and some other general counts and indicators.  Our lab techs are still doing proficiency testing annually.