EQUIPMENT CALIBRATION AND MAINTENANCE

The laboratory shall use equipment suitable for the methods employed.

• The laboratory shall have a documented program for calibration of instruments and equipment.
• Where available and appropriate, standards traceable to national or international standards shall be used for the calibration.
• Where traceability to national standards of measurement is not applicable, the laboratory shall provide satisfactory evidence of correlation of results.
• The frequency of the calibration shall be documented for each instrument requiring calibration. Such documentation shall be retained in accordance with applicable Federal or state law.
• The laboratory shall have and follow a documented program to ensure that instruments and equipment are properly maintained.
• New instruments and equipment, or instruments and equipment that have undergone repair or maintenance, shall be calibrated before being used in casework analysis.
• Written records or logs shall be maintained for maintenance service performed on instruments and equipment. Such documentation shall be retained in accordance with applicable Federal or state law.