Environmental testing

How To Choose The Right Environmental Testing Lab

The best way to choose environmental testing labs after a thorough review of technical capabilities and certification is to visit the laboratory, verify their capabilities and meet lab management personnel. With several labs and service centers across the country, choosing the right lab for your needs can be difficult. However, you should consider the following things to ensure you choose the right lab.

Must have credentials

You should ensure that the lab you choose holds state-specific certifications. Some federal programs require extra accreditations. A lot of major corporations have their own lab approval certifications that should be obtained to provide services.

Get a pre-qualification package

This package includes certifications and accreditations – a summary of experience with similar work, a description of the quality system, an overview of capacity and a summary of important performance metrics.

Consider the testing lab as an investment

When choosing the right environmental testing lab, it is important to have quality and reliable data. You should hire a company that has the necessary tools to do analysis that meet your unique needs. You should consider if a company is available when you need their help and the capacity for timely responses. A lab should provide long-term support, access to historical data and so on.

Key metrics

You should ask about value-added services such as electronic data deliverables, online data services and reliable turn-around times.

Cost/benefits analysis

Purchasing on price alone will affect the quality of services offered. There are a lot of issues to consider regarding capacity. Environmental testing labs can have proper procedures and certifications, but one instrument and five employees. If the instrumentals break down, the client will have to wait until they are fixed and operating again. With a full-service lab, you will get a lot of instruments and employees with the redundancy required to provide quality services.