DIN 38402-45:2014-06

The participation in interlaboratory comparisons in various test areas provides the test laboratory with the opportunity to objectively represent its performance. Interlaboratory comparisons for quality control of testing laboratories as an external quality assurance measure serve as a confidence building measure both for the laboratory itself and for a requesting body. When conducting and assessing proficiency testing, uniform procedures shall be complied with to be able to apply preferably identical quality criteria during the assessment of laboratories. In this context, this standard characterizes the requirements for the operators of interlaboratory comparisons of proficiency testing for the examination of water, waste water and sludge, unless they are already specified in other standards. This standard specifies the criteria for the conduction of interlaboratory comparisons for proficiency testing of laboratories during the examination of water, waste water and sludge. This means, the purpose of this standard differs from the standards DIN 38402-41 and DIN 38402-42, which serve the collection of quantitative statements regarding the reliability of analytical methods. This standard specifies in particular the requirements for conducting interlaboratory comparisons for proficiency testing of laboratories during the examination of water, waste water and sludge as far they exceed the requirements of DIN EN ISO/IEC 17043. The requirements of DIN EN ISO 13528 regarding the statistics to be used are specified for the scope of this standard. This standard may be applied in cases when the parameters to be determined during the interlaboratory comparison can be at least approximately considered continuously quantifiable. Amongst others, this is usually the case with chemical, physical and physical-chemical parameters. Compared to DIN 38402-45:2003-09, the standard has been completely revised and restructured. This document has been prepared by Working Group NA 119-01-03-06-04 AK "Ringversuche zur Eignungsprüfung" ("Proficiency test") of Working Committee NA 119-01-03 AA "Wasseruntersuchung" ("Water examination") at DIN Standards Committee Water Practice (NAW).