CAP Inspection Quick Tip: Equipment Maintenance QC

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My message today is short but sweet: Make sure your policy/procedure matches your practice regarding equipment maintenance QC.

Take the time now to look at your policy/procedure and compare it to your equipment maintenance QC forms. If your daily maintenance in your policy/procedure says "Daily," but your equipment maintenance QC form says, "Daily or as needed," your practice does not match your policy. If your equipment maintenance QC form and policy/procedure say "weekly," but you do it some weeks, you are not always compliant. Your equipment maintenance QC forms' daily, weekly, and monthly tasks must match your policy/practice.

As a CAP Inspector, I have almost always cited this deficiency while inspecting labs.

Written by Nicole Leon, HTL(ASCP)

#2022
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#Lab Safety
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Samantha Golden

05-10-2022 13:57

I too, was always taught to write your procedure to say exactly what you do. However, I've recently been told that your policy must include performing maintenance "at least as frequent as specified by the manufacturer", per COM.30600. This seems excessive, especially when certain manufacturers state you need to perform a task, such as changing a filter, every two weeks. How should we actually interpret this standard, to ensure that our practice and policy are ok, if one chooses to perform the maintenance outside what the manual states. Thank you.

Giorgis Yeabyo

04-15-2022 12:16

Thanks Nicole Leon!! It's not only short and sweet but also highly informative that may be unable to detect by user!!

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