Please confirm rush samples in advance by contacting our Client Services Department.POLICIES + QA REFERENCE
SAMPLE SUBMISSION
All samples sent to SGS Galson should be accompanied by our Chain of Custody Form. A copy may be obtained from our website. Copies of the Chain of Custody form are also available from our Client Services Department. Samples received after 3 p.m. are considered as part of our next day’s business.
ACCREDITATIONS
Please check the regulations for the jurisdiction you are collecting samples from to ensure that the certifications that we hold cover the analyses you want performed. We are not liable for samples submitted from jurisdictions for which we do not hold license or certification to analyze. For a full list of our accreditations: Accreditations | SGS Galson
COLLECTION MEDIA
Standard filter cassettes, sorbent tubes, specialized filters, tubes, impinger solutions are supplied free if the samples are returned to our laboratory for analysis. Certain passive monitors are also supplied free if the samples are returned to our laboratory for analysis and you are not already receiving a volume discount for work. See our Media Fee Schedule for pricing non-standard media prices. Media not requiring refrigeration can be shipped via UPS ground at no charge (excluding equipment). A purchase order or credit card authorization may be required prior to the shipment of media. Media not returned to our laboratory with samples for analysis will be billed after sixty (60) days.
SAMPLER WALL DEPOSITS
In keeping with NIOSH and OSHA guidance on inclusion of sampler wall deposits in an analysis, SGS Galson has adopted a practice of wiping cassette walls where possible. The wipe is included with the sample filter through the preparation and analytical process. This may occasionally cause a discrepancy between certain analytical results and their corresponding gravimetric result (which represents the filter particulate only). For more information on Sample Wall Deposits see NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods: Sampler Wall Deposits as well as various individual OSHA methods.
BLANKS
In accordance with published sampling and analytical methods, field blanks should be submitted for each type of analysis requested in a given batch of samples, even if the batch consists of only one sample. Field blanks are prepared and analyzed along with field samples, and are not to be held for potential future analysis based on the results of field samples. Field blanks will be charged at the normal sample rate. See our Sampling & Analysis Guide and fee schedule.
DESORPTION EFFICIENCY
Desorption efficiency (DE) varies with the lot of sorbent, concentration level, and with the number and types of compounds co-absorbed. Contact Client Services for more information.
ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES
For industrial hygiene analyses, we follow the current NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods, OSHA Analytical Methods Manual, and other state or federal procedures. In addition we offer analytical method development services for proprietary compounds and other non-routine analytes.
COMPATIBILITY
Save time and money – Some analytes can be collected on the same medium and analyzed together. Contact Client Services for more information.
AIR SAMPLING PUMPS
Sampling pumps are available from SGS Galson through our FreePumpLoan program. Various pumps with all the necessary sampling accessories are available for loan. The customer is responsible for the shipment of the pumps to the sampling destination and back to the laboratory. Contact Client Services for more details.
TURN-AROUND TIME
SGS Galson realizes how important timely results are to our clients. We guarantee a five-day turnaround, from the time the samples are successfully logged in, for routine industrial hygiene analysis. Results are faxed or e-mailed by 6 p.m. EST on the fifth working day following the day of sample receipt. A few non-routine analyses typically require more than five days to analyze, these exceptions are noted in the comments for these analytes in the Sampling & Analysis Guide. Rush turn-around can also be provided. Sample sets with split due dates (i.e. routine plus non-routine analyses), unless otherwise requested, will be reported once all analysis is complete. Please confirm rush samples in advance, or coordinate special reporting in the case of split due dates, by contacting our Client Services Department. The following surcharges will be added to the listed fees for results reported by 6 p.m. Eastern Time:
| Same day | 200% |
| Next day (12pm) | 150% |
| Next day (6pm) | 100% |
| Second day | 75% |
| Third day | 50% |
| Fourth day | 35% |
For example, if the listed fee for one sample with normal five business day turnaround time is $50.00 the following table would list what the cost including surcharges would be based on the following expedited turnaround times:
| Turnaround | Cost per sample |
| Standard Turnaround | $50.00 |
| Same day 200% | $150.00 |
| Next day (12pm) 150% | $125.00 |
| Next day (6pm) 100% | $100.00 |
| Second day 75% | $87.50 |
| Third day 50% | $75.00 |
| Fourth day 35% | $67.50 |
REPORTING
Results are e-mailed as soon as the analytical data has been reviewed, approved and the report is considered complete.
SUBCONTRACTED ANALYSES
A few analyses require a subcontract laboratory. These analytical results are typically provided within 10 business days. Reports are provided to you in their entirety as soon as our laboratory reviews them.
FEES AND DISCOUNTS
Reduced fees are available for more than one organic vapor, metal, or inorganic acid on a single sample. See the comment section in the Sampling & Analysis Guide. If no other discounts apply, a 10% discount is applied to twenty (20) or more samples submitted for identical analyses when submitted at one time.
CONFIDENTIALITY
All sample results and laboratory reports are strictly confidential. Results will be provided only to the addressee specified on the Chain of Custody form submitted with the samples unless law requires release. We will require written permission from the addressee to release results to another party.
SAMPLE RETENTION
Samples, including any rejected samples, with several exceptions and where possible are retained for a minimum of 14 calendar days following the issuance of the final analytical report. IOMs are retained for 7 calendar days following the issuance of the final analytical report. Asbestos samples are retained for a minimum of 60 calendar days following the issuance of the final analytical report. Microbiological samples are retained for a minimum of 30 days following the issuance of the final analytical report. Samples may be retained for longer periods of time upon client request. Any unused portions of samples may be returned to a client upon their request.
General Conditions of service
Our Standard Terms and Conditions govern any analytical work performed. View our General Conditions of Service for more information. Prices, methods and detection limits may be changed without notification. Visit our Sampling & Analysis Guide or contact Client Services to verify current prices, methods, and detection limits.
PAYMENT TERMS
A completed credit application must be on file for us to extend credit. Purchase orders or credit card information must be submitted for us to release sample results. Payment terms are net 30 days. A monthly charge of 1.5% of the unpaid balance will be charged after 30 days. In the absence of an established credit arrangement or authorized purchase order, all analyses must be prepaid. We accept payments by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
LIMITS OF QUANTITATION
The quantitation limits provided within the Sampling & Analysis Guide are the most current limits determined at the time of printing. The limits are actual laboratory determined limits and are recalculated periodically in accordance with our Quality Assurance requirements. These limits are subject to change; however, they will seldom change significantly.