If your facility is considering accreditation by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), you’re on track to control quality, meet best practices, and ensure the safety of workers and the general public. The A2LA is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides accreditation services for various testing and calibration laboratories. Using recognized standards set by the International Organization for Standardization, A2LA accreditation can be a valuable tool in your laboratory’s success. Here’s how:
What to Know About the A2LA Program
To earn A2LA accreditation is to gain a stamp of approval that carries international recognition. Your facility has demonstrated to an independent third party that it meets or exceeds industry standards by becoming accredited. The areas of compliance include:
- Staff training and knowledge
- Testing method relevance
- Equipment and device calibration
- Working and safety conditions
- Environmental conditions
- Asset management
- Quality control
Benefits of A2LA Accreditation
Many organizations find that being A2LA accredited brings operational and marketable benefits. Customers prefer the quality assurance that accreditation conveys that value lower-risk, reliable products and, in some instances, are willing to pay a premium for accredited lab services.
Labs with A2LA accreditation operate with a higher focus on safety, making them at lower risk for incidents and able to respond more quickly when issues arise. This is a result of streamlined processes that reduce errors, which also benefits the laboratory’s bottom line by reducing waste in materials and labor. Additionally, A2LA is a resource to labs within their accreditation program and can help labs navigate common key operational challenges.
Automated Monitoring Tools for A2LA Compliance
While the types of laboratories accredited by A2LA vary, there are common challenges among them. One is ensuring environmental conditions facilitate contaminant control, asset integrity, worker safety, and equipment accuracy. This overarching component of compliance can be addressed through the implementation of an automated monitoring system that collects data, monitors conditions, and alerts personnel when variances occur.
Primex OneVue Sense™ provides a solution that can help monitor laboratory settings’ environmental conditions with temperature, humidity, and contact closure sensors. The portable sensors are easy to install and can alert staff to temperature variances, log access to restricted areas, and capture the monitoring data for on-demand reporting through the OneVue Monitor™ dashboard. The sensor options provide reliable, highly accurate data with calibrated probes and thermo buffers that simulate refrigerated assets’ actual temperature and minimize false sensor readings from minor fluctuations. The system eliminates the need to manually record data and allows you to confirm the integrity of controlled areas through the web-based OneVue Monitor platform.
This data can then be accessed to create on-demand reports that demonstrate A2LA compliance. This allows you to monitor sensitive assets and environmental conditions at all times, including during the off-hours of your facility. Facility managers can be confident that medications, samples, and other assets will remain within compliance requirements by alerting staff to the need for any adjustments.
Managing Personnel Traffic in Restricted Access Areas
A2LA compliance requires that personnel accessing restricted areas are fully trained with relevant protocols. Monitoring access to restricted areas can be achieved with OneVue Sense Contact Closure Sensors. These small, reliable devices use magnetic strips connected to a monitor that can measure and record the contacts’ opening and closing. They are easy to install on doors, cabinets, and refrigeration units. When used as part of the web-based OneVue Monitor software, the sensors can reduce manual recording without compromising assurance.
Meeting Environmental Monitoring Challenges With Confidence
Primex OneVue sensors are a valuable tool to meet A2LA accreditation as well as the compliance guidelines set by the CDC and other governing bodies. The versatility of OneVue sensors’ installation requirements and the multiple power options, including battery, AC, and some with Power over Ethernet (POE), make them an ideal solution for laboratory protocols. With Primex OneVue, maintaining accreditation compliance standards can be done accurately through remote precision temperature monitoring and comprehensive documentation.
Learn more about how Primex OneVue can support your laboratory’s A2LA accreditation.
References:
American Association for Laboratory Accreditation - Accreditation
Sage Journal - The Detection and Prevention of Errors in Laboratory Medicine