PA/PH/OMCL (08) 73 2R - OMCL Guideline on Qualification of Equipment Core document

OMCL Network of the Council of Europe

QUALITY MANAGEMENT DOCUMENT

PA/PH/OMCL (08) 73 2R

QUALIFICATION OF EQUIPMENT
CORE DOCUMENT

Full document title and Qualification of Equipment Core document

reference PA/PH/OMCL (08) 73 2R
Document type Guideline
Legislative basis The present document was also accepted by EA as
recommendation document to be used in the context of Quality
Management System audits of OMCLs
Date of first adoption 1st October 1999
Date of original entry 1st February 2000
into force
Date of entry into force 1st July 2011
of revised document
Previous titles/other This document replaces document PA/PH/OMCL (08) 73 R
references
Custodian The present document was elaborated by the OMCL
Organisation Network/EDQM of the Council of Europe
Concerned Network GEON

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 PA/PH/OMCL (08) 73 2R - OMCL Guideline on Qualification of Equipment Core document

QUALIFICATION OF EQUIPMENT

CORE DOCUMENT
Introduction

The standard ISO/IEC 17025 requires an appropriate choice and qualification of equipment to
be used for testing purposes. Particularly, checks and calibrations before and during use and,
if needed, intermediate tests (see ISO/IEC 17025 chapter 5.5.10) are necessary.
In order to guarantee a harmonized interpretation and application within the OMCL Network,
the guideline Qualification of Equipment has been elaborated.

From experience, the terms DQ, IQ, OQ and PQ (not explicitly mentioned by ISO/IEC 17025)
have been used in a non-harmonized way amongst the different OMCLs. Therefore their
mention has been avoided in this document. This does not exclude their use in OMCLs
quality systems where already approved and in application, or a reference to literature using
this nomenclature.

In order to simplify the management of the guideline, the present document contains only the
general introduction and the first two levels of qualification, which are common to all type of
equipment. The third and fourth levels of qualification can be found in separate instrument-
related annexes. When considered appropriate, additional requirements and/or examples
related to Level I and/or Level II have also been included in the annexes, which are to be used
in combination with the general recommendations given in the core document.

The list of annexes, included in this document, will be updated as soon as new annexes are
issued.

This document should be considered as a guide to OMCLs for planning, performing and
documenting the equipment qualification process. It should not be taken as an exhaustive list
of compulsory tests. It is left to the professional judgement and background experience of
each OMCL to decide on the most relevant tests and the most appropriate tolerance limits for
each of the parameters, in order to give evidence that the instrument is working properly and
is appropriate for its intended use.

If the qualification of equipment is done by the manufacturer itself or an external service, it is

under the responsibility of the OMCL to make sure that the checks performed are in line with
the minimum requirements set in this guideline.

To facilitate the implementation of a documented qualification process for the various

analytical instruments, specific recommendations on minimum requirements are given in the
corresponding annexes.

For the more technique-related aspects of equipment qualification checks, practical examples
of possible approaches are also presented in the annexes.

The following four levels of Equipment Qualification should be considered by the OMCLs:

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 PA/PH/OMCL (08) 73 2R - OMCL Guideline on Qualification of Equipment Core document

Level I. Selection of instruments and suppliers

The selection and purchase of new instruments shall follow a conscious decision process,
based on the needs related to the intended use of the instrument.
An example for setting and documenting such specifications and decisions taken is given in
Table I.

Level II. Installation and release for use

When receiving an instrument, the OMCL should check that it is received in good conditions,
as ordered, and should monitor and document the installation process of the instrument in the
selected environment. This includes the start up checks done by the supplier, followed by a
full periodic check as described in Level III.
The release for use shall be documented and authorised by the person responsible for the
instrument.
An example for documenting the instrument installation and release for use and decisions
taken is given in Table II.

Level III. Periodic and motivated instrument checks

When instruments are installed or moved into a new environment a series of checks have to
be carried out to verify the key performance parameters of the instrument avoiding additional
contributory effects from the analytical method. Depending on the frequency of use and the
experienced stability of the instrument this shall be repeated periodically.
The same verifications (or a relevant part of them) shall be carried out following events like
significant repair or maintenance operations.

Examples of parameters to be checked on instruments and their typical acceptance limits can
be found in the Table III of the corresponding instrument-related annex.
The specifications from the manufacturer of the instrument should be taken into account when
setting the tolerance limits.

Some examples on how these checks may be performed on each type of instrument are also
provided in the corresponding Annexes.

Level IV. In-use instrument checks

During the day-to-day use of the instruments, checks are necessary to demonstrate continued
evidence of satisfactory performance by the instrument itself and compliance with the system
suitability criteria as defined in the applied analytical procedure for each product or group of
products tested at this occasion.

Examples of parameters to be checked on instruments and their typical acceptance limits can
be found in the Table IV of the corresponding instrument-related annex.

In the case of OMCLs performing routine testing (Type A: batch release of vaccines and
blood products), the use of control charts provides supplementary information on equipment
performance, which can also be used in this context.

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 PA/PH/OMCL (08) 73 2R - OMCL Guideline on Qualification of Equipment Core document

List of instrument-related annexes

The qualification levels dealt with in each annex are indicated in brackets.

Annex 1: Qualification of HPLC equipment (Levels III and IV)

Annex 2: Qualification of GC equipment (Levels III and IV)

Annex 3: Qualification of UV-Visible spectrophotometers (Levels I, III and IV)

Annex 4: Qualification of IR spectrophotometers (Levels I, III and IV)

Annex 5: Qualification of automatic titrators (Levels III and IV)

Annex 6: Qualification of piston pipettes (Levels III and IV)

Annex 7: Qualification of mass spectrometers (Levels III and IV)

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 PA/PH/OMCL (08) 73 2R - OMCL Guideline on Qualification of Equipment Core document

TABLE I

Level I. Selection of instruments and suppliers

Example of check-list (non-exhaustive)

Manufacturer:

Provider/Distributor:

Name of instrument and type:

Attribute Assessment
Benefits
(This list may be adapted if Specifications
(Instrument/supplier)
necessary) Pass Fails
Technique

Communication and data

handling
Interface RS232
Data transfer to spread sheets
Compatible with other hard-
and software such as LIMS
Safety
Irradiation
Explosion protection
Documentation
Manual (paper copy)
Handling
User language
Service and maintenance
Services offered
Warranty
Support
Delivery (duration etc.)
Installation
(Service / Laboratory)
Training (in-house / external
courses)

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 PA/PH/OMCL (08) 73 2R - OMCL Guideline on Qualification of Equipment Core document

TABLE I (cont.)

Requirements for media and environment

Cost / Benefit Analysis

Comments / Decisions

Date / Signature:

Date / Signature for approval:

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 PA/PH/OMCL (08) 73 2R - OMCL Guideline on Qualification of Equipment Core document

TABLE II

Level II. Installation and release for use

Example of check-list (non-exhaustive)

Name of instrument and type:

Identification code:

Conformity with order (instrument / material / documentation)

Pass Fails (description of deficiencies)

Check of damages
Pass Fails (description of deficiencies)

Check of required media supply (connections / environmental conditions)

Pass Fails (description of deficiencies)

Installation of instrument(s) including possible control modules

Pass Fails (description of deficiencies)

Performance of start-up checks and diagnosis functions 1

Pass Fails (description of deficiencies)

1
if available

Comments

When appropriate, raw data are attached to the instrument documentation

Date / Signature:

Release and authorisation for use: Date / Signature:

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 PA/PH/OMCL (08) 73 2R - OMCL Guideline on Qualification of Equipment Core document

Disclaimer:

The present Core Document of the OMCL Guideline Qualification of Equipment, as well as
all its Annexes, have been drafted by ad-hoc working groups of technical experts, mainly
coming from Official Medicines Control Laboratories (OMCLs) and only occasionally from
other public institutions. These working groups do not include any representative from any
commercial organisation.
This Core Document and its Annexes may contain trade names of laboratory instruments,
materials and/or reagents. These are exclusively given as example in order to make these
guidelines easier to understand and implement, and were found to be suitable when the
guideline was being developed. These references do not imply in any way that the mentioned
instruments, materials or reagents or their suppliers are especially endorsed, recommended or
certified by the EDQM, the OMCL Network or the Council of Europe, in preference to others
of a similar nature which are not mentioned. It is therefore acceptable to use instruments,
materials and reagents from another source, provided that they fulfil the necessary criteria laid
down in these documents and appropriately satisfy the needs of the concerned laboratories in
the frame of their specific activities.

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