CAQA Veritas Laboratories
CAQA Veritas Laboratories is an independent analytical testing laboratory serving water utilities, food manufacturers, mining and construction companies, environmental consultants and local councils across New South Wales. The main laboratory at Wetherill Park runs analytical chemistry, microbiology and construction materials testing, and the field services team collects water, soil, air and construction samples on client sites from the Hunter to the Illawarra. Veritas holds accreditation from the National Association of Testing Authorities for the majority of its test methods, which means clients can use its reports for regulatory compliance, product release and dispute resolution.
The business is organised into six departments. Sample Reception and Logistics receives, registers and prepares every sample, Analytical Chemistry runs wet chemistry, spectrometry and chromatography, Microbiology and Food Testing operates a physically separate suite with its own air handling, and Construction Materials and Geotechnical tests concrete, aggregates and soils in the materials hall. Field Sampling and Environmental Monitoring runs three vehicles from Wollongong and Wetherill Park, and Quality, Compliance and Client Services manages the quality system, client reporting and accreditation. The laboratory operates from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekdays with an on-call microbiology roster for urgent food and water results on weekends.
Veritas runs its quality management system to the international standard for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Every sample is tracked from chain of custody to the authorised test report, every instrument has a calibration status that the laboratory information system enforces, and every out of control result, complaint or deviation is recorded as a nonconformance and investigated. Safety is managed under the Work Health and Safety Act with a hazardous chemicals register, fume cupboard and biosafety cabinet monitoring, and health surveillance for staff exposed to specified chemicals. Internal audits, proficiency testing and management review run to an annual plan that the accreditation body assesses.