The results of a provincial audit conducted of our air monitoring network gives FAP high marks for performance.
Of the 148 critical inspection items (including 45 ambient air quality analyzers) that were audited, there were two failures and one need for improvement. The audit also included a review of 46 non-critical items. Of these, only two opportunities for improvement were recommended. The audit was conducted by Alberta Environment and Parks in two phases that took place July of 2019 and February of 2020.
Once notified of the audit findings, we immediately took steps to rectify deficiencies. Critical items were resolved the same day and non-critical items by the following day.
“These are extremely good results that reinforce to ourselves, our stakeholders and the public that we are continuously providing credible, high quality, local ambient air monitoring data,” said Nadine Blaney, FAP’s Executive Director. Any minor data inaccuracies revealed by the audit have been corrected.
“It’s our policy to address any items identified for improvement as quickly as we can so that the data we produce retains its accuracy, credibility and value to the public, industry, government and researchers.”
Auditing is an important part of our comprehensive quality assurance program. In addition to independent audits of the monitoring network, we conduct regular internal performance reviews and third party quality assurance audits. We also perform other quality assurance activities such as challenging continuous gas analyzers with known gas concentrations daily and calibrating them monthly. FAP’s Technical Working Group and air monitoring data analyst also review data quality indicators every month. Read the July 2019 and February 2020 audit reports.