Measurement Uncertainty in Microbiology

This training program will discuss the concept and application of uncertainty of measurement (MU) as required by ISO/IEC Standard 17025:2005 for laboratory accreditation, from a practical microbiological perspective, using unambiguous language and useful examples.

Laboratories are often confused about the uncertainty of measurement (MU). Further ambiguity on the subject arises as to:

• What is needed to meet the ISO/IEC Standard 17025:2005 requirements?
• What data should be collected?
• How to analyze the data?
• This course will address these questions and discuss a practical step by step approach specifically applicable to microbiology.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this session, attendees will learn:

• The significance of uncertainty of measurement (MU)
• What data must be collected to calculate MU
• How to calculate MU
• How to use MU estimations as part of the laboratory’s quality management system

Areas Covered in the Session :

• Statistical approaches to measuring precision
• Using precision of a method for calculating MU
• MU and MPN methods
• How to make practical use of MU data
• Applying MU concepts to qualitative methods

Who Should Attend:

• Microbiological bench analysts
• QA managers
• Laboratory managers/supervisors
• QC practitioners
• Food companies who rely on microbiological criteria for estimating risk

Course Director: MICHAEL BRODSKY

Michael Brodsky has been an Environmental Microbiologist for more than 42 years. He is a Past President of the Ontario Food Protection Association, The International Association for Food Protection and AOAC International. He serves as co-Chair for the AOAC Expert Review Panel for Microbiology, as a scientific reviewer in Microbiology for the AOAC OMA and the AOAC Research Institute, as a reviewer for Standard Method for the Examination of Water and Wastewater and as a chapter editor on QA for the Compendium of Methods in Microbiology. He is also a lead auditor/assessor in microbiology for the Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation (CALA) and is vice-chair of the CALA Board of Directors.