Michael Brodsky

Measurement Uncertainty in Microbiology

Many laboratories are confused about what MU is and what is needed to meet the requirement, including, what data to collect and how to analyze it. A practical step by step approach specifically applicable to microbiology will be discussed. The Webinar will discuss the concept and application of uncertainty of measurement (MU) as required by ISO/IEC Standard 17025 for laboratory accreditation, from a practical microbiological perspective........

      Play      

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) in the Laboratory - Addressing Non-Conformances

Root Cause Analysis uses a specific set of steps, with associated tools, to find the primary cause of the problem, so that you can: Determine what happened. Determine why it happened. Figure out what to do to reduce the likelihood that it will happen again. CAPA assumes that systems and events are interrelated. An action in one area triggers an action in another, etc. If you cannot prevent a problem from occurring, by tracing back these........

      Play      

ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Update: Everything Old is New Again

ISO/IEC 17025:2005 is the international standard for the General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories and has been updated and revised. The new version is was released November 29, 2017. What are the changes and how will they impact your current Quality Management System? Similarly, developing a QMS is a prerequisite for getting accredited. What are the new requirements that need to be addressed? This ........

      Play      

Produce Safety: The Enigma of a Healthy Diet (Popeye Would Turn Over in his Grave)

In the United States, more illnesses have been attributed to leafy vegetables (22%) than to any other commodity: illnesses associated with leafy vegetables are the second most frequent cause of hospitalizations (14%) and the fifth most frequent cause of death (6%). This situation is probably reflected globally. Should we stop eating all raw fruit and vegetables? Does washing make it safer? Are we putting ourselves at risk by eating our ........

      Play      

CAPA: Corrective and Preventative Actions and Addressing Non-Conformances

CAPA is both a precursor to and component of RCA that helps people prevent non-conformances from occurring and if all else fails; answer the question of why the non-conformance occurred in the first place. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a popular and often-used technique that helps people answer the question of why the problem. What is a non-conformance? When you have a non-conformance in the laboratory, how do you approach it? Do you jum........

      Play      

The Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR)

Total coliforms are a group of related bacteria that are (with few exceptions) not harmful to humans, but are found in human waste (sewage). A variety of microbial pathogens in sewage can potentially cause health problems if humans ingest them. EPA no longer considers enumeration of total coliforms a useful indicator of other pathogens for drinking water. Total coliforms are used to determine the adequacy of water treatment and the inte........

      Play      

Is it Method Verification or Validation, or Just Semantics?

This Webinar will discuss the distinction between and requirements for method validation and method verification, to comply with ISO/IEC Standard 17025 for laboratory accreditation. Quantitative and Qualitative methods have different performance measurement requirements and require different statistical analyses. Although method validation and method verification are related terms, they have very different analytical and statistical req........

      Play      

ISO/ IEC 17025:2017 Update: Everything Old is New Again

Many laboratories have successfully developed and implementing a functional quality management system that not only complies with the management and technical requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2005 but also meets their needs. Some are still struggling to get accredited and even those already accredited still have issues as evidenced by the number of non-conformances cited during the subsequent biannual audits. Have the rules changed? What a........

      Play      

Is it Method Verification or Validation, or Just Semantics

This Webinar will discuss the distinction between and requirements for method validation and method verification, to comply with ISO/IEC Standard 17025 for laboratory accreditation. Quantitative and Qualitative methods have different performance measurement requirements and require different statistical analyses. Although method validation and method verification are related terms, they have very different analytical and statistical req........

      Play      

Understanding and implementing an effective laboratory Quality Management System to comply with ISO/IEC 17025

QMS is the catch phrase for accreditation and is the backbone of ISO/IEC Standard 17025:2005. Accreditation to international standards is being becoming the norm in the global analytical community. Although essentially voluntary, there are many jurisdictions that now require food and environmental laboratories to be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 in order to participate in regulatory programs. Many laboratories struggle with developing and........

      Play