Photo Credit: James Tourtellotte

Dr. Robert Schwartz at work in the ISO-accredited Customs laboratory.

A closer look at Customs labs
Laboratories and Scientific Services (LSS) is the scientific and forensic arm of the U.S. Customs Service. As part of the Office of Information and Technology, LSS provides scientific and forensic support to all Customs offices and technical assistance to other federal departments and agencies. More than 80 percent of LSS' workload is related directly to trade issues, with the remainder focusing on forensic science, mostly in support of the interdiction of controlled substances. The LSS consists of a headquarters division that administers seven field laboratories located in New York, New Orleans, Savannah, San Juan, San Francisco, Terminal Island, and Chicago.

The initial Quality Assurance Program of LSS was based on the quality management principles of ISO 9000. The ISO system started after the conclusion of World War II, as European nations sought to reestablish sound economic relations with one another. Realizing they needed to develop standard ways of conducting business, they used military procurement procedures as their model. Soon, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was formed, comprised of approximately 100 industrialized nations. The ISO, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is responsible for establishing a large number of standards. Voluntary in nature, the standards are not mandatory unless adopted by a governmental body.

Raising the bar
For Customs, the journey toward ISO Guide 25 accreditation began in May 1996 with the development of the Budget Initiative for Laboratory Modernization. In the same year, LSS developed a vision statement to provide quality scientific support and analytical services to its customers. The Savannah and Chicago Customs Laboratories were set up as prototypes, with quality managers assigned to both.

In September 1998, under the leadership and direction of Executive Director George D. Heavey, the first quality manual was released and LSS was on the road to ISO accreditation. In July 1999, LSS released a national quality manual, followed in October of that year by the adoption of national quality procedures. The Quality Management Board convened its first meeting to discuss findings of the first round of internal audits. Based on the general state of readiness of Customs laboratories, the group decided to "raise the bar" for its quality system and pursue full accreditation under the more rigorous standard: ISO Guide 25,General Requirements for the Competence of Calibration and Testing Laboratories.

In June 2000, LSS submitted an application package for accreditation to A2LA, and on October 3, the A2LA began its first three-day audit of the U.S. Customs Laboratory in Savannah. The audit revealed no outstanding deficiencies. As of mid-December, A2LA has conducted accreditation audits of the field laboratories in Chicago, New York, and New Orleans, each of which passed with only minor deficiencies. Audits for the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Juan laboratories were completed in February 2001, with accreditation of all Customs laboratories expected by April 2001.

Although all Customs laboratories have their individual accreditation, Customs is the first government agency to seek and obtain international accreditation for its entire laboratory system.