![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090507204817im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Frequent Questions - EPA Organizations and Personnel
- What EPA organizations are covered by the EPA
Quality System?
- What Quality System specifications apply to
my organization?
- What EPA Quality System specifications apply to
me?
- Who is my Quality Assurance Manager?
- Where can I get a copy of my Organization's Quality
Management Plan?
- Where can I find more information for EPA organizations?
What EPA organizations are covered by the EPA Quality System? All EPA organizations that collect, evaluate, or use environmental data or design, construct, or operate environmental technology are covered by the EPA Quality System. Overall, there are more than 40 EPA organizations that maintain quality systems including the EPA Regions, National Program Offices, and the Office of Research and Development's National Research Centers and Laboratories. Specialized, highly-visible programs also may have their own quality systems. Typically, such programs cut across organizational lines and have their own organizational infrastructure.
What Quality System specifications apply to my organization? Specific specifications for EPA organizations are defined in EPA Order CIO 2105.0 (PDF 12pp, 94K About PDF). Supplemental information is contained in CIO 2105-P-01-0 (PDF 62pp, 169K About PDF) .
Basically, EPA organizations must develop, implement, and maintain a quality system that demonstrates conformance to the minimum specifications of ANSI/ASQC E4-1994 and:
- Identify a quality assurance manager who reports on quality issues to the senior manager for the organization.
- Develop and implement a Quality Management Plan, which documents the organization's quality policy, describes its quality system, and identifies the environmental programs to which the quality system applies.
- Provide sufficient resources to implement the quality system.
- Assess the quality system at least annually and make improvements based on these assessments.
- Submit a yearly Quality Assurance Annual Report and Work Plan.
- Use a systematic planning approach to develop acceptance or performance criteria for all environmental data collection and use.
- Have EPA approved Quality Assurance Project Plans for all applicable projects and tasks involving environmental data prior to any data gathering.
- Assess existing data to verify that they are of sufficient quantity and adequate quality for their intended use.
- Implement Agency-wide Quality System specifications in all applicable EPA-funded extramural agreements.
- Provide appropriate training, for all levels of management and staff, on quality management responsibilities and specifications.
What EPA Quality System specifications apply to me? Depending on your job function, different quality specifications apply to you. Responsibilities for EPA Senior Managers, quality management personnel, EPA managers and staff are all described in EPA Order CIO 2105.0 (PDF 12pp, 94K About PDF). Program-specific responsibilities are described in your organization's Quality Management Plan.
However, all EPA employees must ensure that all applicable intramural programs and activities comply with EPA Order 2105-0; ensure all applicable extramural environmental programs comply fully with the Code of Federal Regulations; and assure that the results of environmental programs are of sufficient quantity and adequate quality for their intended use.
Who is my Quality Assurance Manager? A list of EPA Quality Assurance Managers is given in Quality System Contacts. If your organization does not appear, please contact quality@epa.gov to determine your Quality Assurance Manager.
Where can I get a copy of my Organization's Quality Management Plan? Contact your supervisor or Quality Assurance Manager for the most recent version of your organization's Quality Management Plan.
Where can I find more information for EPA organizations? For more information for non-EPA organizations, see Policies and Procedures for EPA Organizations.