3. Modern, reliable surveillance

Appropriate quality assurance and analytical quality control procedures are essential for any analytical activity that generates results for microbiological water monitoring. Control procedures must ensure that results are reliable, i.e. of adequate precision. Accuracy and precision, the two components of measurement accuracy, must be ensured, and involve consideration of many details, practical aspects of analytical quality linked to methods, equipment, precision requirements set by regulations.

To guarantee the reliability of measurements used to monitor the microbiological quality of water, testing laboratories must be accredited. Initially, this accreditation only defined obligations in terms of resources (qualified personnel, suitable premises, maintenance of measuring equipment, control of raw materials and written analytical procedures). Today, the requirement...