AUDIT PROGRAMS

Laboratory Accreditation Program

Accreditation

WACEL laboratory accreditation is a requirement of membership. Every laboratory in the WACEL region as defined by the Board of Directors must be accredited to ASTM E-329, and/or ASTM C-1077 and/or ASTM D-3740 to be a WACEL member.

The Program identifies criteria that laboratories must meet in order to perform their work in a conscientious and capable manner, and helps assure that accredited laboratories in fact meet, if not surpass, those criteria and the criteria found in ASTM E-329, ASTM C-1077, and ASTM D-3740.

WACEL’s Laboratory Accreditation Program provides valuable reassurance to the public, governmental agencies, clients and others that accredited laboratories can perform their work in the proper manner, so their findings comprise an accurate indication of conditions assayed.

WACEL’s Laboratory Accreditation Program also recognizes that quality assurance is an ongoing and ever-improving process. For that reason, the program constantly seeks to maintain high quality standards through annual review audits.  It is the only laboratory accreditation program that requires annual audits.

The program's scope includes:

  • an examination of documents bearing upon an engineering laboratory's organization management and operation
  • an inspection of the engineering laboratory to view facilities and equipment and observe daily operations in progress
  • conduct of follow-up activities necessary to assure any deficiencies or other concerns have been properly handled before final accreditation is issued
  • annual audits to assess if the laboratory continues to operate in a manner consistent with the requirements of the WACEL Laboratory Accreditation Program.

Accreditation does not include testing of equipment for proper operation and calibration. Such activities are performed by other agencies. However, accreditation does include a review of other agencies' calibration and other quality-related reports, as well as documentation of actions taken to help correct any deficiencies identified.

Click here for a copy of the WACEL Laboratory Accreditation Program Manual.

Click here for a copy of the WACEL Laboratory Accreditation Program Guide Exhibits.

Click here for a copy of the WACEL Laboratory Accreditation Application.

Minimal Capabilities

A testing laboratory that seeks accreditation for concrete testing shall be capable of performing the required ASTM test methods or practices listed below:

  1. Sampling, Method C172
  2. Slump, Test Method C143
  3. Unit Weight, Yield, and Air Content C138
  4. Air Content, C173 (volumetric method) and C231 (pressure method)
  5. Making and Curing Test Specimens, C31
  6. Compressive Strength, C39
  7. Capping Cylindrical Concrete Specimens C617 of C1231
  8. Temperature, C1064

A testing laboratory that seeks accreditation for soils testing shall be capable of performing the required ASTM test methods or practices listed below.

  1. Proctors D698 (standard), D1557 (modified), VTM-1, and the equivalent test methodology required by Maryland
  2. Specific Gravity of Coarse Aggregate (oversized particles) C127
  3. Specific Gravity of Soils, D854
  4. Hydrometer and Sieve Analysis, D422
  5. Moisture Content, D2216
  6. Field Density Testing D1556 (sand cone), or D2922 (nuclear) or both
  7. Atterberg Limits D4318
  8. California Bearing Ratio (CBR)* -- ASTM D-1883/VTM-8

*CBR is required only of a principal laboratory in the WACEL service territory. The region known as the WACEL service territory is defined annually by the Board of Directors.

Materials That Must Be Furnished with a Laboratory Accreditation Program Application

Here follows a list of materials you are requested to furnish to the Laboratory Accreditation Team Captain no later than two weeks prior to the scheduled date of the Facilities Inspection. If you have applied for accreditation in both soils and concrete testing, provide relevant material for each, unless the document in question is equally applicable to both soils and concrete. (Note that more than one copy of a given document may be required. The number required is indicated in the space provided in the right-hand margin of the following list.) Please be certain to indicate on each copy of each document furnished exactly what the document is, unless a title or some other inherent identification in or on the document makes its identification self-evident.

If there are additional materials that are relevant, or that a firm would like the Laboratory Accreditation Team to review and comment upon, include them with other materials furnished, but be sure to describe them in a covering letter or note and explain your reasons for providing them.

ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE FURNISHED WITH THE PROGRAM APPLICATION.

  1. *Photocopy of registration certificate of professional engineer in full-time responsible charge of the laboratory in jurisdiction of office location.
  2. *Written QA program or, in the absence of a written QA program, copy of document which comprises laboratory procedures evidencing QA activities.
  3. Copies of QA compliance reports or other written evidence (if such exists) of QA procedures evaluations.
  4. Written calibration program.
  5. Most recent record of calibration results.
  6. *If accreditation in concrete testing is sought, a current C.C.R.L. laboratory inspection, Corps of Engineers inspection report, or report from another WACEL-recognized program capable of objectively investigating concrete laboratory testing techniques and equipment is required. In addition to the report, applicant must furnish evidence of participation in a WACEL-recognized Reference Sampling Program within the last year.
  7. *Other calibration reports submitted by outside agencies.
  8. Statement of procedures which vary from those promulgated by recognized standard-setting organizations).
  9. Guidelines relative to developing and reviewing reports.
  10. Guidelines relative to report format, standard clauses, etc.
  11. *Two recent soils test reports (if accreditation in soils testing is sought; delete or obscure names of client and project).
  12. *If accreditation in soil testing is sought, a current laboratory inspection report from A.M.R.L., Corps of Engineers, or another WACEL-recognized program capable of objectively investigating soil laboratory testing techniques and equipment is required (2.2.8). This will include evidence of participation in a WACEL-recognized Reference Sampling Program within the last year.
  13. *Two recent concrete test reports (if accreditation in concrete testing is sought; delete or obscure names of client and project).
  14. *Organizational chart and/or other material which identifies reporting relationships and assigns responsibilities.
  15. General personnel policies and procedures manual.
  16. *Job description for each category of employee.
  17. *Resume of P.E. in full-time charge of laboratory and three others filling different jobs within the facility.
  18. Description of training and continuing education programs.
  19. Sample promotional materials (as available, SF254, brochure(s)), typical proposal (delete or obscure name of client and any specific pricing information) photocopy of Yellow Pages or other print media ads, etc.).

*Failure to have this material precludes accreditation.

Click here for the Application