Terms of Reference

1. The EURACHEM Sampling Uncertainty Working Group, once established, will operate in accordance with the Constitution agreed in the EURACHEM Memorandum of Understanding.
2. The EURACHEM Sampling Uncertainty Working Group will prepare guidance for the evaluation of uncertainties in measurement arising from the process of sampling. This guidance will be applicable to all chemical measurements that require the taking of a sample. It will provide guidance on the assessment of the uncertainty of the measurement that is caused by the process of sampling, and any physical preparation of the sample prior to analysis, and how this can be combined with estimates of uncertainty arising from the analytical process.
3. These guides will be developed in collaboration with relevant international bodies  and will be updated as experience is gained in their use.

Activities

• Establish a source of funding to support the activities of the WG (e.g. for holding meetings and paying expenses of the members in attending meetings).
• Establish the membership of the WG by inviting participation form suitable people who have shown a strong interest in the subject of estimating measurement uncertainty arising from sampling, and represent organisations that will support them on the preparation of the guide.
• Produce a Eurachem Guide " Estimation of measurement uncertainty arising from sampling" . This guide will not aim to modify existing sampling protocols, but only to explain how the measurement uncertainty which they generate can be estimated. A draft of this guide will be circulated to all interested parties for comment.
• Encourage communication and debate on this subject through conferences and publications.

Members (At inception)

• Mike Ramsey (Sussex University (Chair))
• Roger Wood (UK Food Standards Agency)
• Steve Ellison (Eurachem and LGC)
• Mike Thompson (RSC/AMC/IAG)
• Kensaku Okamoto (CITAC (Chair))
• Ilya Kuselman (CITAC)
• Alex Williams (Eurachem U WG)
• Paolo de Zorzi (APAT; Environment Agency, Italy)
• Pentti Minkkinen (Lappeenranta University of Technology)
• Bob Johnson (Argonne National Laboratory, USA)
• Christian Gron (NORDTEST)
• Manfred Golze (EUROLAB)
• Rüdiger Kaus (EUROLAB)
• Ulrich Kurfürst (EUROLAB)
• Mikael Krysell (EUROLAB)
• Marc Salit (Observer) (NIST, Washington DC, USA)
• Máire C. Walsh (State Chemist for Ireland)
• Jussi Laiho (Geological Survey of Finland / Geoservice Centre)
• Bertil Magnusson (Swedish National Testing and Research Institute)
• Jenny Lyn (Sussex University)

Outputs

Publications

The working group has produced the Eurachem Guide Measurement uncertainty arising from sampling (2007).

Workshops

• Eurachem Workshop on Uncertainty from Sampling in Berlin (April 2008). PowerPoint presentations from the Workshop are available at www.eurolab-d.bam.de (new browser window).