ASTM International's Interlaboratory Study Program

摘要

Standards without documented precision run the risk of appearing arbitrary. A validated precision statement ensures a standard's technical reliability and enhances its scientific integrity. The most effective way to develop precision statements is through the creation and execution of interlaboratory studies. It is not unusual for hundreds of hours of work to go into the planning, execution, and administration of one large study. Studies are costly and, as a result, have kept some ASTM technical committees from validating the precision of their standards for years. ASTM International has ventured into new territory. Embracing its penchant for offering a high level of service in their committed pursuit of excellence in standards development, ASTM's board of directors adopted plans in the fall of 2004 to launch an Interlaboratory Study Program. Responding to the need for standards in the marketplace to be of known and documented quality, a dollar4,000,000 commitment was made for the next five years to support the effort. This commitment means ASTM will be able to assist those technical committees for which the prospect of implementing an interlaboratory study was daunting or impossible. The goal is to enhance the quality of ASTM test methods by providing administrative assistance to the technical committees as they develop precision statements supported by high-quality laboratory data.