Policies and Procedure. A licensee shall develop, establish, maintain, implement, and follow quality assurance policies and procedures that ensure that the laboratory’s quality system is maintained. A licensee shall ensure that the laboratory has a clear procedure describing the process to uniquely identify evidence. Chain of Custody. The licensee shall: Maintain a record of chain of custody in written or electronic form in order to maintain accurate tracking of all evidence; and Document each transfer of evidence with the date of transfer and the signature of the person receiving the evidence at the time of transfer. Identifying and Handling Evidence. A licensee shall: Ensure that each item of evidence received by the forensic laboratory: Is permanently marked and includes a unique identifier either on the: Evidence itself; or Proximal container of the evidence; and Has a documented record that includes the: Identity of the evidence submitter; Date the item of evidence was submitted; and Description of the item of evidence submitted; Establish and follow a procedure to identify evidence that cannot be marked or identified as set forth in §B(1) of this regulation; Ensure all items produced during a forensic analysis or examination are: Marked with a unique identifier that can be traced back to the original evidence; Appropriately packaged; Documented in case notes, reports, and the evidence tracking system; and Packed with the original evidence when applicable or a disposition will be noted; Ensure documentation of the date of receipt of each test item and evidence; Establish, maintain, and follow a procedure to define proper packaging and sealing of evidence requiring that: Evidentiary seals: Are initialed or marked by the person sealing the evidence; and Prevent the evidence from being removed, lost, altered, or contaminated; and Evidence is protected from: Loss; Cross-contamination; and Any harmful change; and Consider evidence containers properly sealed only if: The contents cannot readily escape; and Entering the container results in obvious damage or alteration to the container or the container’s seal. Deficiencies, Errors, and Corrective Actions. A licensee shall have: A procedure for corrective actions to be taken when a deficiency or error is identified with: A forensic analysis procedure or method; or The casework or proficiency testing of a forensic analyst or examiner; and The procedure and required documentation for the corrective actions include: A determination of the cause of the deficiency or error; An evaluation of the deficiency or error to determine if the deficiency or error causes or has caused an adverse effect on the quality of a forensic analysis; An indication of the individual responsible for corrective action; A timeline of corrective action or actions; and Verification that the corrective action was: Implemented; and Monitored for effectiveness in correcting the deficiency or error. A licensee shall designate a quality assurance manager to oversee and ensure that the quality assurance program is implemented, maintained, and routinely evaluated. A licensee shall ensure that a change to an entry on an examination document, whether written or electronic, is: Trackable to the person who made the change; and Not erased, hidden, obscured, disguised, or obliterated. A licensee shall establish and follow a procedure to document any: Evidence discrepancies; Compromise of evidence integrity; or Lost or misplaced evidence. A licensee shall document all quality assurance and quality control activities as set forth in this subtitle. A licensee shall establish a procedure to: Investigate, resolve, and document a forensic analysis discrepancy; and Allow for a request and approval from the director or designee for a deviation from standard operating procedures. Public Record. A licensee shall establish and follow a procedure to make discrepancy logs, contamination records, and test results available to the public within 30 days of a written request. A contamination record shall include the following information: Unique case identifier; Encoded sample identification; Description of results; and Identifiers that led to an incident report.