5754 Laboratory Administration Workshop - Online

The Online Laboratory Administration Workshop is designed for State weights and measures laboratory staff to help them fully meet the criteria of NIST Handbook 143 and ISO/IEC 17025:2017.  It is especially useful for newer laboratory staff or where previous non-conformities have been identified through annual reviews and for newer staff who would benefit from organized/structured training on laboratory quality management system topics.  Participants will apply workshop concepts on their own laboratory documents during the seminar to improve their quality management system documents and to develop a complete Recognition submission.  Preparation for Accreditation will also be covered since the criteria for Recognition and Accreditation are identical/closely aligned.

NOTE: This is a WORKshop, not simply a series of webinar lectures.  Students will be working with their own lab’s content and sharing files among instructors and peers.  Reviews will be facilitated by peers and instructors as part of the workshop assignments and homework.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this workshop, using the notes, resources, demonstrations, sharing of examples, and discussions from this workshop, participants will be able to:

• DEMONSTRATE familiarity and ability to INTERPRET ISO/IEC 17025:2017, Handbook 143, and Handbook 150-2 (including applicable annexes) requirements when assessing and implementing these documents in a calibration laboratory;
• ASSESS laboratory quality, administrative and technical documents, policies, procedures, records, and processes to determine compliance, non-conformance, risk, and opportunities for improvement;
• CORRECT and IMPROVE laboratory quality, administrative and technical documents, procedures, records, and processes when found to be non-compliant or showing significant weaknesses and risks;
• MANAGE or ASSIST in managing and implementing laboratory administrative functions to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with NIST Handbooks 143, 150-2 (including annexes), and ISO/IEC 17025:2017; and
• ASSEMBLE a complete and successful application package for OWM Recognition (and NVLAP Accreditation, if applicable).

Materials & Supplies

None.  Materials and handouts provided during the session.  Must have access to online seminar room and ability to download files from Google Drive and upload files to dedicated Box accounts for workshop materials.

Prerequisites

1. Completion of Fundamentals of Metrology Seminar (or Interim Fundamentals of Metrology and LAP Problem Preparation course).
2. Approval from laboratory management:  Laboratory staff must have management approval and support to proceed in identifying and working on action items identified during the workshop, access to all laboratory documents, conducting independent internal audits, holding an interim management review meeting and preparing a draft “submission package”.  Management must agree to time outside of class sessions for the participant to complete homework assignments. Anticipate 4 to 8 hours homework associated with each session. 16 hours of online sessions plus an estimated 34 hours to 44 hours of pre-work and homework time. Confirmation of Management Approval is required prior to course participation confirmation.

Pre-Work

Assemble and submit all laboratory QMS files, Recognition and Accreditation certificates/scope (where available), latest internal audit, latest laboratory management review (e.g., latest documents submitted for OWM annual submission and NVLAP application, if applicable). Gain access to all laboratory files associated with control charts, uncertainties, calibration certificates, etc...  To be submitted via BOX account one week prior to class start: October 28, 2021.

Pre-Work Deadline

October 28, 2021.

Post-Work

Homework is assigned for each session and must be completed to receive credit.  Additional time for individual review and discussion of homework with instructors may be scheduled by instructors as needed.

Post-Work Deadline

Not applicable.

Minimum Requirements

To obtain a Certificate of Successful Completion for this seminar, 100 % attendance is required.  Complete participation in all assigned activities and submission of homework assignments, engagement in team activities (including sharing examples of laboratory documents/files when requested), and turning in any additional assigned projects is also required.

Grading will be based on Review of Final Submission Package (20 %), FINAL EXAM (20 %), and INDIVIDUAL HOMEWORK (60 % of "grade" but 100 % requirements for completion).

Audience

Laboratory personnel who have responsibilities for developing, implementing, and/or improving the quality management system in their laboratory, as well as those who are seeking OWM recognition and/or accreditation or improvements to support recognition/accreditation. This seminar is also useful for management staff who supervise laboratory operations, participate in management reviews, help conduct internal audits, review/monitor action items and their effectiveness resulting from management reviews and internal audits, and help define the lab procedures if they have also completed prerequisites.  This course is NOT available for non-weights and measures participants or non-laboratory staff (except as noted) at this time.  (Requests for exceptions or waivers must be addressed to the instructor, Georgia Harris, with suitable justification).

Cost

This webinar is for State weights and measures staff participants only.  Registration fees for State weights and measures regulatory officials and metrologists are funded by NIST OWM.  As noted: This course is NOT available for non-weights and measures participants or non-laboratory staff (except as noted) at this time.  (Requests for exceptions or waivers must be addressed to the instructor, Georgia Harris, with suitable justification).

Instructors

Georgia Harris, Mark Ruefenacht, Isabel Chavez Baucom, Micheal Hicks
Phone: 301-975-4004
Email: g.harris [at] nist.gov (g[dot]harris[at]nist[dot]gov)

Technology Requirements

Must be able to access to online seminar room and ability to download files from Google Drive and upload files to dedicated Box accounts for workshop materials.

The webinar will be a live stream, so participants must have a constant connection during the webinar (hard-wired is preferred).

1. Operating System (browser) configurations:

• Windows
  • Windows 10, 8.1 (32-bit/64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit/64-bit)
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 or later, Windows Edge browser, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome
  • For HTML Client - Google Chrome (v70.0 & above), Mozilla Firefox (v65.0 & above), and Edge (v42.0 & above)
• Mac OS
  • Mac OS X 10.12, 10.13 and 10.14
  • Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome
  • For HTML Client - Google Chrome (v70.0 & above), Apple Safari (v12.0 & above), and  Mozilla Firefox (v65.0 & above)
• Linux
  • Ubuntu 16.04; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • No application support is available for Linux. Users on Linux can attend meetings in a browser.
  • Google Chrome, Adobe Flash Player 23.0

2. Mobile

• The Adobe Connect app for iOS and Android requires Adobe Connect Server version 8.2 or later
• Google Android 4.4 or later
• Apple iOS: iOS 8.1.2 or later
• Some features may not be enabled in all Adobe Connect meetings if one is using an Adobe Connect Server older than version 9.4.2 (required for Custom pods)
  • OWM discourages using the Adobe Connect app for iOS and Android because engaging with highly technical content and interactive polls are challenging on a small screen.

3. Media players

• In order to access the event, you must have, at a minimum, Adobe® Flash® Player 13 or higher installed on your computer. Please visit http://get2.adobe.com/flashplayer/ to download the Flash Player.

4. Adobe Audio:  please plan to use your computer microphone and speakers for these sessions; a headset will be especially valuable so that you have your hands free to take notes, engage with questions on screen and open/search and review files.

Adobe Video: NEW.  Web cameras are strongly encouraged. This training will have opportunities for you  to share the video from you web camera. The purpose is to engage with your fellow classmates.  Before entering the meeting, ensure that your camera is plugged in and recognized by the computer. If not, camera drivers might need to be updated or installed. Also, grant access permission to Flash Player for the camera and microphone in the dialog box that appears when starting the broadcast.

Note: To optimize bandwidth consumption, Adobe Connect recommends you share your video using the Adobe Connect application for desktop rather than the web browser version of Adobe Connect.

For more information about video, follow the link and scroll down to “Share webcam video”: https://helpx.adobe.com/adobe-connect/using/video-meetings.html

Adobe Test Links

If you have never attended an Adobe Connect meeting before or want to check and see if there have been updates:

• Test your connection: http://nist.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
• Get a quick overview: http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeconnect.html

^{* Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat and Adobe Connect are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.}