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The Commission encourages you to use this library alongside the self-disclosure and complaint sections when researching a particular issue.
Quality incidents
A public library of quality incident and corrective action documents from participating Texas-accredited laboratories.
About the quality incident library
Welcome to the Texas Forensic Science Commission's quality incident library: a centralized library where the public can search and access quality incident and corrective action documents from participating Texas-accredited laboratories, using a word search tool.
The library includes a wide variety of incidents, from minor to significant, that may or may not have required corrective action by the laboratory. The date ranges covered vary by participating laboratory.
The library is still being filled
The library officially launched in July 2024. Laboratories will need a significant amount of time to transfer information from their current records, so please check back periodically. If you can't find what you're looking for, contact the laboratory directly.
Non-conformities and corrective action
As a required part of accreditation, laboratories must document non-conformities, in more or less detail depending on the circumstances.
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Document
Every non-conformity is recorded.
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Take corrective action
When the nature of the non-conformity calls for it.
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Monitor effectiveness
Check that the corrective action worked.
From simple to serious
- Simple An administrative error that does not affect casework
- More serious A switched sample in casework
Involvement does not mean wrongdoing
An individual being associated with a non-conformity does not mean they did anything wrong in a given case or cases. Because laboratories practice continuous quality improvement, analysts and managers alike are expected to be involved in quality incidents and corrective action at various points in their careers.
A robust quality assurance program is an indicator of a high-functioning laboratory.
Using the library
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Historical records may be incomplete
Participating laboratories have uploaded quality incident and corrective action information as well as they are able to digitize and transfer it. Some historical information may not be accessible or complete.
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Ask the laboratory's quality manager
For questions about a quality incident or corrective action report, or for information you can't find with the search, contact the laboratory's quality manager directly.
Find quality manager contacts in the accredited laboratories section
Search quality incidents
Search incident and corrective action documents by keyword.