SERVICES & COURSES

Services Offered

Audit Services:

LABORATORY

We conduct various types of laboratory audits, including:

ISO 17025 preparedness (gap audit);
ISO 17025:2005 to ISO 17025:2017 gap analysis audit - are you ready for the change to 2017?
Calibration and regression best practices;
General Laboratory Audit;

We specialise in fire assay (gold and precious metals) audits

GEOLOGY and METAL ACCOUNTING AUDITS

Exploration geology
- RC, Diamond and Percussion drilling, core management, sampling of core and QA/QC.
Production geology
- RC, Diamond and Percussion drilling,sampling, QA/QC.
Metal Accounting
-Sampling,weightometers, sample preparation,analysis and adherence to standards for metal accouting.

Method Development:

We develop and implement analytical methods and ensure that you achieve the best accuracy and precision possible from the method. We use principles of calibration best practice to ensure that uncertainty due the regression calibration is minimised.

Administration and Reporting on Proficiency Testing

We provide an independent service to administrate and report laboratory proficiency testing. Robust statistical methods are used.

Method Validation:

We offer an expert service for validation of analytical methods. A detailed method validation report is issued that would be ready for hand-over to SANAS or similar standards authorities.

Courses Offered

All courses are offered on-site at your laboratory or remotely depending on Covid status at the time. Courses are mostly divided up into 50% theory and 50% practical work. We offer courses to groups of analysts but unfortunately we are unable to offer courses to individuals.

Should you be interested in a course not offered here, please contact us as we are able to develop customised courses.

Spectroscopic Methods:

We offer courses on the following spectroscopic methods:

Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometry (ICP-AES)
Atomic Absorbtion Spectrometry (AAS)
Spark Atomic Emission Spectrometry (Spark - AES)

Where possible the above courses have a large component of practical work with emphasis
on instrument optimisation and calibration best practices.

Separation Methods:

We offer basic and advanced courses on the following separation methods:

Gas Chromatography (GC)
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

Laboratory Practice:

We offer a variety of custom deisgned laboratory courses including:

Good Laboratory Practice
The Basics of Laboratory glassware
Wet Chemistry methods
Titration and Titration Skills
Sampling and Sample Preparation
Understanding ISO 17025:2017
Internal auditing
Root cause analysis
The Basics of Fire Assay
Basic Statistical Methods for Laboratory Analysts
Statistical Method Validation for Test Laboratories
Calibration and Regression Analysis for Analytical Chemists
The Fundamentals of Measurement Uncertainty in Analytical Chemistry

Combustion Analysis:

We offer basic and advanced courses on the following combustion methods:

Combustion Analysis - LECO and Eltra instruments including C, S, N, O, H analysis
Nitrogen/Protein Combustion Analysers by the method of Dumas (LECO and other)
Calorific Value by Bomb Calorimetry
Thermogravimetric Analysis (LECO TGA series)

Specilised Services:

We offer a variety of specialised services:

Support through the process towards ISO17025 accreditation
Optimisation of analytical instrumentation to give best possible measurement uncertaintyand maximise accuracy
Independant assessement of analytical data in dispute situations
Interpretation of analytical data from interlaboratory comparisons

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Chief Chemist, Chris Maretele of Impala Platinum's Laboratory in Rustenburg with course delegates after completion of an intense three-day course on statistical method validation for test laboratories. August 2019

Statistical method validation for test laboratories course run at Anglo American Training Center at Rustenburg. August 2018. Delegates from Rustenburg Platinum mines and Anglo American Base Metals.

Delegates during the practical session at LECO Africa's application laboratory for the course held on 'Essentials of Best Practice in Calibration of LECO Analysers'. March 2017.

Delegates during the practical session at LECO Africa's application laboratory for the course held on 'Essentials of Best Practice in Calibration of LECO Analysers'. November 2017.

Allan explaining the use of a one sample two tailed t-test incorporating measurement uncertainty from the reference material. Course on sampling, sample preparation and quality control. March 2017.