Implementation of an Ethics Program in a Water Quality Laboratory

摘要

Ethics is an important part of a quality control program for a water qualityrnlaboratory. In the United States, the National Environmental LaboratoryrnAccreditation Program requires that laboratories have an ethics program in place.rnIn the case of American Water, company policies and procedures for conductingrnbusiness in a lawful and ethical manner were also a driving force forrnimplementation of an ethics program.rnThere are many facets to an ethics program. Items that should be covered forrnany business ethics program include conflicts of interest, inside information,rnpreferential treatment, accounting records and control, environmental health andrnsafety, and prohibition against discrimination or harassment. In addition, arnlaboratory ethics program should cover data integrity. Data integrity topicsrninclude employee training and documentation of that training, QC requirements,rnproper integration and manual integration techniques, calibration guidelines,rnmanual and on-line data review, and data recall procedures.rnAfter implementation of an ethics program, ongoing upkeep of the program isrnimportant. This should include an annual refresher course as well as a signedrnstatement by employees that they understand and will follow the requirements ofrnthe program.