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Abstract # 250 - Seminar
10/17/2018 - 9:50 AM - 10:50 AM - Iris Room

Applying Risk-Based Thinking to Laboratory Operations

Gretchen McAuliffe - Labtopia

There is a shift in the focus of ISO-based standards to a proactive, preventive approach to quality management rather than reactive, incident-based response.  This extends to laboratory operations as well, particularly with the latest revision of ISO 9001:2015 and the ISO 17025:2015 standards.  One of the fundamental continual improvement tools used to implement such a cultural change is risk management.  When companies perform risk analysis, they can effectively identify areas of weakness within operations and the likelihood that the harm would occur prior to an actual event.  Once analyzed, labs can implement control measures to mitigate the impact of harm.    Additionally, risk analysis allows managers to focus valuable resources on improvements for the most vulnerable processes and methods.  This seminar will discuss how management professionals can apply risk-based thinking to all laboratory operations to improve quality and reduce laboratory errors.  In addition, application of a common risk analysis tool will be presented.