Regulation .01 Quality Assurance — General.
Regulation .01 Quality Assurance — General.LinkCopy Citation
To obtain or maintain a permit to operate a forensic laboratory, a person or licensee shall ensure that the forensic laboratory:
A.
Establishes and follows policies and procedures for a comprehensive quality assurance program designed to monitor and evaluate the ongoing and overall quality and safety of the total examination and forensic analysis process;
B.
Maintains a quality assurance program that:
(1)
Continually evaluates the effectiveness of the laboratory’s policies and procedures;
(2)
Routinely revises policies and procedures based on the results of ongoing evaluation;
(3)
Identifies and corrects problems;
(4)
Assures:
(a)
Accurate, complete, and reliable reporting of results of examinations and analyses;
(b)
Technical procedures are validated and are accepted practice in the forensic discipline; and
(c)
Adequate and competent employees;
(5)
Requires documentation of all quality assurance and quality control activities; and
(6)
Includes policies and procedures for:
(a)
Handling and preservation of evidence;
(b)
Calibration and maintenance of equipment;
(c)
Handling, maintaining, and securing laboratory records including case records and reports;
(d)
Evaluation and approval of employees;
(e)
Laboratory security;
(f)
Identifying and implementing corrective actions;
(g)
Documenting and investigating complaints;
(h)
The operation of individual characteristic databases, where appropriate; and
(i)
Data integrity and ethics;
C.
Develops and maintains:
(1)
An organizational chart of all employees;
(2)
Job requirements and a job description for each contractor; and
(3)
Employee records that include, but are not limited to:
(a)
Job requirements and a job description for each employee;
(b)
Educational background and qualifications;
(c)
Curriculum vitae;
(d)
Court testimony evaluations and a record that the evaluations are reviewed with each examiner and analyst;
(e)
Documentation of successful completion of a training program set forth by the laboratory, including competency testing;
(f)
Authorization to perform independent casework; and
(g)
Performance evaluations;
D.
Establishes and maintains a forensic laboratory safety program;
E.
Employs appropriately trained employees and possesses equipment to conduct the scope of forensic services offered;
F.
Maintains reference literature in physical or electronic form that covers all disciplines and subdisciplines for which services are offered;
G.
Designates an individual as the quality assurance manager;
H.
Defines and maintains a document retention policy;
I.
Maintains a facility that is designed to ensure the integrity of the forensic analyses and the evidence;
J.
Conducts:
(1)
Administrative review of all cases and reports before issuing a report; and
(2)
Technical review, of no less than 5 percent of cases as determined by the laboratory director or designee, to ensure conclusions and supporting data are within the constraints of scientific knowledge; and
K.
Establishes a mechanism to address unresolved discrepant conclusions between an analyst and the technical reviewer.