Performance Evaluation of the Food and Environmental Monitoring Radio Analytical Laboratory in Ghana

ABSTRACT Since the establishment of the Radiation Protection Institute’s Food and Environmental Laboratory in 1988, there has never been any thorough evaluation of the activities of the facility to provide assurance of the quality of analytical results produce by the laboratory. The objective of this study, therefore, was to assess the performance level of the Food and Environmental monitoring laboratory with respect to the requirements for a standard analytical laboratory (IAEA, 1989) and ISO 17025. The study focused on the performance of the Gamma Spectrometry laboratory of the Radiation Protection Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission which has been involved in monitoring of radionuclides in food and environmental samples. In doing that, data from 1988 to 2015 was reviewed to ascertain whether the Laboratory has being performing as required in providing quality results on food and environmental samples measured. Besides this data (records kept), the evaluation also covered some Technical Quality Control measures, such as Energy and Efficiency Calibration, that need to be put in place for such laboratories. The laboratory meets almost all conditions and equipment requirements of IAEA (1989), however the laboratory falls short of the management requirements of ISO 17025. Based on the results it was recommended, among others, that management of the laboratory should ensure there are procedures for how calibration and testing is performed for different types of equipment and also the competence of all who operate specific equipment, perform tests, evaluate results and sign test reports ensured.