Communication and Coordination
Roles

Roles Overview
index | page 1 of 7 | | |

Coordination of laboratory support under the WLA-RP in response to a water contamination incident involves the following roles:

- Analytical Services Requester (ASR)
- Primary Responding Laboratory (PRL)
- Mutual Support Laboratory (MSL)

roles_overvw.jpg

Analytical Services Requester (ASR)
comm_corr0080 | page 2 of 7 | | |

The Analytical Services Requester (ASR) is the primary point of contact (POC) who requests analytical assistance for a water contamination incident from a laboratory.

- Role
- Key Responsibilities

Role

The role of the ASR may be played by the following or other designee:

- First responder (e.g., police officer)
- Hazmat team leader
- Utility manager
- State regulatory authority affected by the incident
- State drinking water agency

Key Responsibilities

The key responsibilities of the ASR are:

- Contact the laboratory that will provide analytical services for the incident, the Primary Responding Laboratory (PRL)
- Act as the primary decision maker concerning the analyses and data
- Direct sample collection and distribution to the PRL and other supporting laboratory(s), Mutual Support Laboratory(s) (MSL[s])
- Coordinate with other organizations that may have information relevant to the incident, such as clinical laboratories and public health departments, and ensure that this information is communicated to the PRL
- Inform the PRL of requirements for data turnaround, data format, sample and record retention, and sample storage

Primary Responding Laboratory (PRL)
comm_corr0090 | page 3 of 7 | | |

The PRL is the initial laboratory contacted by the ASR that agrees to provide support.

- Key Responsibilities
- Other Duties

Key Responsibilities

The PRL has the following key responsibilities:

- Provide analytical support
- Provide coordination and follow direction from Incident Commander (IC)
- Provide sample collection staff to the ASR, or guidance
- Facilitate communication between MSLs and the ASR
- Coordinate collection and compilation of data from MSLs and report to the ASR
- Follow instructions from the ASR regarding data release and records maintenance, retention, and destruction

Other Duties

Other duties may include consolidating and performing basic quality checks on MSL data. Additional support may include:

- Consulting
- Data review, reporting, and exchange
- Reagent exchange
- Sample storage
- Training

Mutual Support Laboratory (MSL)
comm_corr0100 | page 4 of 7 | | |

The MSL is a laboratory that may be engaged by the PRL, should the PRL's resources be insufficient at any point in the process to meet the analytical needs of the incident.

- Key Responsibilities
- Support Provided

Key Responsibilities

The MSL has the following key responsibilities:

- Follow direction from the PRL or other coordinating authority
- Rapidly assess available resources and provide timely realistic assessment of available support
- Meet commitments to the PRL (e.g., analyses, data review, sample storage)
- Consult with PRL as changes occur and analytical information becomes available

Support Provided

Support provided may include:

- Sample collection
- Analyses
- Consulting
- Quality Control (QC)
- Data review
- Reagent exchange
- Sample storage
- Training
- Staff exchange

Knowledge Review
comm_corr0110 | page 5 of 7 | | |

Derailed train

Please review the scenario below and answer the related question on the following page.

The utility emergency manager at the Clear Valley Water Treatment Plant receives notification that a train tanker car spilled upstream of the drinking water treatment plant intake; the drinking water intake is shut down.

The utility emergency manager needs to find out if the water is safe or whether a "do not use" order should be issued. He considers the following information:

- The water utility laboratory is undergoing renovations and cannot perform chemical analyses.
- Good Chemistry, Inc., where the utility normally sends their compliance samples, is short-staffed and will be unable to process a large number of samples, but can process a limited number of samples if the state laboratory needs assistance.
- The drinking water utility has received analytical support from their state laboratory in the past and usually contacts them first when they need support.

Knowledge Review, continued
comm_corr0120 | page 6 of 7 | | |

According to the WLA-RP, which roles (ASR, PRL, MSL) will each of the following persons/organizations be playing during the response to the train derailment?

- Utility Emergency Manager
- State Laboratory
- Good Chemistry, Inc.

Please enter your response below, then select "Submit" to compare your answer.

| Please compare your answer to the feedback below: The Utility Emergency Manager is the ASR. The State Laboratory is the PRL. The Good Chemistry, Inc. is the MSL. Click Next to continue with the lesson.

Knowledge Review
comm_corr0130 | page 7 of 7 | | |

Which of the following activities are the responsibility of the ASR? (Select all that apply)

a. Arrange for a laboratory to serve as the PRL
b. Act as the primary decision maker regarding laboratory analyses
c. Direct sample collection and distribution to the PRL and MSL
d. Inform the PRL of requirements for data turnaround, sample disposal, etc.
e. Analyze samples
f. Coordinate collection and compilation of data from the MSLs

Knowledge Review
comm_corr0130_flash | page 7h of 7 | | |

Which of the following activities are the responsibility of the ASR? (Select all that apply)

1. Arrange for a laboratory to serve as the PRL
2. Act as the primary decision maker regarding laboratory analyses
3. Direct sample collection and distribution to the PRL and MSL
4. Inform the PRL of requirements for data turnaround, sample disposal, etc.
5. Analyze samples
6. Coordinate collection and compilation of data from the MSLs</p>

comm_corr0130_xml | page 7l of 7 | | |

700 430 ffffff false ffffff Arial 13 000000 2 multipleselect false Arrange for a laboratory to serve as the PRL true Act as the primary decision maker regarding laboratory analyses true Direct sample collection and distribution to the PRL and MSL true Inform the PRL of requirements for data turnaround, sample disposal, etc. true Analyze samples false Coordinate collection and compilation of data from the MSLs false Yes, that is correct. The correct answers are A, B, C and D. Click Next to continue with the lesson. Sorry. That is incorrect. The correct answers are A, B, C and D. Click Next to continue with the lesson. Sorry, that is incorrect. That is incorrect.