On 21 May 2013, the Kapisanang Kimika ng Pilipinas – Division of Analytical Sciences (KKP-DAS) held a two-day training course on “Measurement Uncertainty in Analytical Chemistry: A Hands-on Approach” at the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation (PASAR) in Isabel, Leyte. This significant training course revisits the fundamental principles, evaluation strategies and the general prominence of measurement uncer-tainty in chemical analysis amid the changing landscape and demands of Analytical science.
The decision whether a given result indicates compliance or non-compliance with a specification, it is necessary to take into account the measurement uncertainty associated with the result. The training included hands-on experiences on the identification of sources and spread-sheet calculation of uncertainty in chemistry measurements. The training team was led by Dr. Fortunato Sevilla III of the University of Santo Tomas and Dr. Lilibeth Coo of the University of the Philippines. The seminar includes a discussion and general recommendations, followed by more detailed instructions on establishing rules for interpretation and by several examples.
Participants came from various segments within PASAR to include its laboratory managers, supervisors, analysts and technicians. Participant worked on exercises on the quantification of measurement uncertainty, using in-house chemical analysis data. Measurement uncertainty has become an important parameter for the global quality and acceptability of the results of chemical measurements. It is used as the basis for decision on the fitness for purpose of the results of chemical analysis. It is a requirement in the documentation of measurement data in ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratories. This training course was a sequel to the previous workshop that KKP-DAS conducted for PASAR on “Quality Measurements in the Analytical Laboratory” held last December 2012.
