Appendix 2 — Calibration and Verification Schedule
Parent procedure: 08 – Equipment Maintenance, Calibration and Verification
Purpose
To provide a consolidated schedule of all calibration and verification activities, enabling the laboratory to plan resources, track due dates, and prevent equipment from being used when overdue for calibration.
Instructions
- The Technical Manager defines the calibration type, interval, acceptance criteria, and responsible person for each item.
- The Quality Manager maintains the schedule, updates dates after each calibration event, and issues reminders at least 30 days before due dates.
- This schedule is reviewed at least annually and updated when equipment is added, removed, or when intervals are changed.
- Equipment that appears overdue on this schedule must be immediately placed out of service until calibration is completed.
Part A — Calibration and Verification Schedule
| Equipment ID | Description | Calibration / verification type | Internal or external | Interval | Acceptance criteria | Responsible | Last performed | Next due | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analytical instruments | ||||||||||
| AI-001 | ICP-OES | Daily calibration curve | Internal | Each run | r² ≥ 0.9995; QC recovery ±5% | Analyst | [Date] | Each run | ☐ Current | |
| AI-001 | ICP-OES | Annual service and qualification | External | Annually | Manufacturer OQ criteria | Service engineer | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| AI-002 | HPLC | System suitability (SST) | Internal | Each run | Resolution, tailing, %RSD per SOP | Analyst | [Date] | Each run | ☐ Current | |
| AI-002 | HPLC | Wavelength accuracy, flow rate | Internal | Annually | Per SOP acceptance criteria | Technical Manager | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| AI-003 | Karl Fischer | Certified water standard | Internal | Each batch | Recovery ±3% of certified value | Analyst | [Date] | Each batch | ☐ Current | |
| AI-004 | Laser diffraction | Certified size standard | Internal | Monthly | Mean within ±3% of certified value | Analyst | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| AI-005 | BET analyzer | Certified BET reference material | Internal | Quarterly | SA within ±10% of certified value (or per cert.) | Analyst | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| AI-006 | XRD | Peak position standard (e.g., LaB₆) | Internal | Monthly | 2θ deviation ≤ ±0.02° | Analyst | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| Balances | ||||||||||
| BA-001 | Analytical balance | External accredited calibration | External | Annually | ≤ ±0.2 mg at test loads | Quality Manager | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| BA-001 | Analytical balance | Internal verification (ref. weights) | Internal | Monthly | ≤ ±0.3 mg at test loads | Analyst | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| BA-001 | Analytical balance | Daily check (single weight) | Internal | Daily (before use) | ≤ ±0.5 mg | Analyst | [Date] | Daily | ☐ Current | |
| BA-002 | Analytical balance | External accredited calibration | External | Annually | ≤ ±0.2 mg at test loads | Quality Manager | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| Volumetric delivery | ||||||||||
| VD-001 | Pipette 10–100 µL | Gravimetric calibration | Internal | Annually | Accuracy ≤ ±1.0%; CV ≤ 0.5% | Technical Manager | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| VD-001 | Pipette 10–100 µL | Intermediate gravimetric check | Internal | Quarterly | Accuracy ≤ ±1.5% at nominal | Analyst | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| VD-002 | Pipette 100–1000 µL | Gravimetric calibration | Internal | Annually | Accuracy ≤ ±0.8%; CV ≤ 0.3% | Technical Manager | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| Reference standards | ||||||||||
| RS-001 | Reference weight set | External accredited calibration | External | Every 5 years | Per calibration certificate | Quality Manager | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| RS-002 | Reference thermometer | External accredited calibration | External | Every 2 years | ≤ ±0.1 °C | Quality Manager | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| Environmental monitoring | ||||||||||
| EM-001 | Data logger — ICP room | External accredited calibration | External | Annually | Temp ≤ ±0.5 °C; RH ≤ ±3% | Quality Manager | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| EM-002 | Data logger — Balance room | External accredited calibration | External | Annually | Temp ≤ ±0.5 °C; RH ≤ ±3% | Quality Manager | [Date] | [Date] | ☐ Current · ☐ Due · ☐ Overdue | |
| Supporting equipment | ||||||||||
| SE-001 | Water purification system | Resistivity check | Internal | Daily (before use) | ≥ 18.2 MΩ·cm (Type I) or per SOP | Analyst | [Date] | Daily | ☐ Current | |
| [Add rows] |
Part B — Interval Adjustment Record
When calibration intervals are changed from the default, document the justification here.
| Equipment ID | Description | Previous interval | New interval | Date changed | Justification | Approved by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [ID] | [Description] | [e.g., 12 months] | [e.g., 18 months] | [Date] | [e.g., Four consecutive calibrations within tolerance with minimal drift; historical data reviewed] | [Technical Manager] |
Part C — Annual Calibration Calendar
A visual planning aid. Mark the month in which each calibration is due. Helps with resource planning and scheduling external providers.
| Equipment ID | Description | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI-001 | ICP-OES annual service | ● | |||||||||||
| BA-001 | Balance external cal. | ● | |||||||||||
| BA-002 | Balance external cal. | ● | |||||||||||
| VD-001 | Pipette calibration | ● | |||||||||||
| VD-002 | Pipette calibration | ● | |||||||||||
| RS-001 | Weight set cal. | ● | |||||||||||
| RS-002 | Ref. thermometer cal. | ● | |||||||||||
| EM-001 | Data logger cal. | ● | |||||||||||
| EM-002 | Data logger cal. | ● | |||||||||||
| [Add rows] |
● = calibration due in this month. Adjust annually based on actual calibration dates.
Schedule maintained by: [Quality Manager name] — Last reviewed: [Date]
Replace the sample entries with your actual equipment. If you have many items, consider maintaining this schedule electronically (spreadsheet or LIMS) with automated reminders. Regardless of format, a controlled, reviewable version must be available for audit and management review.