Comparability between NQA-1 and the QA programs for analytical laboratories within the nuclear industry and EPA hazardous waste laboratories

As a multi-faceted research and development organization, PNL has continually pioneered the application of NQA-1 to activities for which it was not originally designed. If you can look beyond the technical terminology and focus on the concepts behind each basic requirement, then you discover many of the same QA concerns in the ASTM, EPA, and NQA-1 programs. At PNL, the implementation of elements of the varied QA programs of ASTM, EPA and NQA-1 has produced an almost symbiotic relationship. Each QA program serves to supplement the gaps or weaknesses of the others. The basic requirements of NQA-1 supplemented with quality control and data quality considerations have been a sound basis for the analytical laboratory QA program at PNL.