SGS IH Policies & References
SGS IH Sampling & Analysis Overview
SGS IH provides a full range of air sampling and analysis services and equipment, including air quality monitoring, air quality testing and mold testing. We can help you choose the best and most economical air quality sampling method by providing options that include active sampling methods, passive sampling methods, real-time direct read instrumentation and detector tubes. We will provide you with expertise pertaining to hundreds of compounds and we’ll help you pick out the appropriate media. Please contact us or refer to the our Sampling and Analysis Guide and Media Fee Schedule found in our services and resources menu respectively.
Sampling & Analysis Guide Media Fee ScheduleAir Quality Analysis
The SGS IH Dual Column/Co-Solvent GC Method using our universal solvent system allows for a wide range of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) to be collected on the same media. SGS IH can perform air quality analysis of samples using a single analytical method with acceptable recoveries for all analytes. In addition to the single universal extraction, VOCs are now analyzed using dual column confirmation.
The Universal Solvent GC Method table lists the Limit of Quantitation (LOQs) depending on whether you use a 3M organic vapor badge (3M OVM), a small charcoal tube (SKC 226-01 SM CT) or a large charcoal tube (SKC 226-09 LG CT).
We can satisfy all of your LEED IEQ 3.2 and MSHA 30 CFR Testing requirements for air quality testing protocols and all of your hexavalent chromium testing and sampling needs too!
Air Quality Monitoring
SGS IH offers equipment for passive air quality monitoring and active air quality monitoring methods. Learn about the free passive sampling badge program and explore the air quality monitoring and testing equipment section.
We can help you find the most cost-effective monitoring solution that meets your specific need.
We’re your full-service one-stop-shop for all your IAQ analysis need.
Our award-winning Client Service Representatives are ready to help solve your IAQ challenge, answer your questions and take your order in a number of convenient ways:
- Call toll-free at +1 888 432 5227
- Email at [email protected]
- Connect immediately with Live chat
- Text in real-time at +1 888 432 5227
Policies & References
General Policy & QA Reference
Sample Submission
Please confirm rush samples in advance by contacting our Client Services Department.
All samples sent to SGS should be accompanied by our Chain of Custody Form. A copy may be obtained from our website. Copies of the Chain of Custody form are also available from our Client Services Department. Samples received after 3 p.m. are considered as part of our next day’s business.
Accreditations
Please check the regulations for the jurisdiction you are collecting samples from to ensure that the certifications that we hold cover the analyses you want performed. We are not liable for samples submitted from jurisdictions for which we do not hold license or certification to analyze. For a full list of our accreditations: Accreditations | SGS
Collection Media
Standard filter cassettes, sorbent tubes, specialized filters, tubes, impinger solutions are supplied free if the samples are returned to our laboratory for analysis. Certain passive monitors are also supplied free if the samples are returned to our laboratory for analysis and you are not already receiving a volume discount for work. See our Media Fee Schedule for pricing non-standard media prices. Media not requiring refrigeration can be shipped via UPS ground at no charge (excluding equipment). A purchase order or credit card authorization may be required prior to the shipment of media. Media not returned to our laboratory with samples for analysis will be billed after sixty (60) days.
Sampler Wall Deposits
In keeping with NIOSH and OSHA guidance on inclusion of sampler wall deposits in an analysis, SGS has adopted a practice of wiping cassette walls where possible. The wipe is included with the sample filter through the preparation and analytical process. This may occasionally cause a discrepancy between certain analytical results and their corresponding gravimetric result (which represents the filter particulate only). For more information on Sample Wall Deposits see NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods: Sampler Wall Deposits as well as various individual OSHA methods.
Blanks
In accordance with published sampling and analytical methods, field blanks should be submitted for each type of analysis requested in a given batch of samples, even if the batch consists of only one sample. Field blanks are prepared and analyzed along with field samples, and are not to be held for potential future analysis based on the results of field samples. Field blanks will be charged at the normal sample rate. See our Sampling & Analysis Guide and fee schedule.
Desorption Efficiency
Desorption efficiency (DE) varies with the lot of sorbent, concentration level, and with the number and types of compounds co-absorbed. Contact Client Services for more information.
Analytical Procedures
For industrial hygiene analyses, we follow the current NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods, OSHA Analytical Methods Manual, and other state or federal procedures. In addition we offer analytical method development services for proprietary compounds and other non-routine analytes.
Compatibility
Save time and money – Some analytes can be collected on the same medium and analyzed together. Contact Client Services for more information.
Air Sampling Pumps
Sampling pumps are available from SGS through our FreePumpLoan program. Various pumps with all the necessary sampling accessories are available for loan. The customer is responsible for the shipment of the pumps to the sampling destination and back to the laboratory. Contact Client Services for more details.
Turn-Around Time
SGS realizes how important timely results are to our clients. We guarantee a five-day turnaround, from the time the samples are successfully logged in, for routine industrial hygiene analysis. Results are faxed or e-mailed by 6 p.m. EST on the fifth working day following the day of sample receipt. A few non-routine analyses typically require more than five days to analyze, these exceptions are noted in the comments for these analytes in the Sampling & Analysis Guide. Rush turn-around can also be provided. Sample sets with split due dates (i.e. routine plus non-routine analyses), unless otherwise requested, will be reported once all analysis is complete. Please confirm rush samples in advance, or coordinate special reporting in the case of split due dates, by contacting our Client Services Department. The following surcharges will be added to the listed fees for results reported by 6 p.m. Eastern Time:
| Same day | 200% |
| Next day (12pm) | 150% |
| Next day (6pm) | 100% |
| Second day | 75% |
| Third day | 50% |
| Fourth day | 35% |
For example, if the listed fee for one sample with normal five business day turnaround time is $50.00 the following table would list what the cost including surcharges would be based on the following expedited turnaround times:
| Turnaround | Cost per sample |
| Standard Turnaround | $50.00 |
| Same day 200% | $150.00 |
| Next day (12pm) 150% | $125.00 |
| Next day (6pm) 100% | $100.00 |
| Second day 75% | $87.50 |
| Third day 50% | $75.00 |
| Fourth day 35% | $67.50 |
Reporting
Results are e-mailed as soon as the analytical data has been reviewed, approved and the report is considered complete.
Subcontracted Analyses
A few analyses require a subcontract laboratory. These analytical results are typically provided within 10 business days. Reports are provided to you in their entirety as soon as our laboratory reviews them.
Fees and Discounts
Reduced fees are available for more than one organic vapor, metal, or inorganic acid on a single sample. See the comment section in the Sampling & Analysis Guide. If no other discounts apply, a 10% discount is applied to twenty (20) or more samples submitted for identical analyses when submitted at one time.
Confidentiality
All sample results and laboratory reports are strictly confidential. Results will be provided only to the addressee specified on the Chain of Custody form submitted with the samples unless law requires release. We will require written permission from the addressee to release results to another party.
Sample Retention
Samples, including any rejected samples, with several exceptions and where possible are retained for a minimum of 14 calendar days following the issuance of the final analytical report. IOMs are retained for 7 calendar days following the issuance of the final analytical report. Asbestos samples are retained for a minimum of 60 calendar days following the issuance of the final analytical report. Microbiological samples are retained for a minimum of 30 days following the issuance of the final analytical report. Samples may be retained for longer periods of time upon client request. Any unused portions of samples may be returned to a client upon their request.
General Conditions of Service
Our Standard Terms and Conditions govern any analytical work performed. View our General Conditions of Service for more information. Prices, methods and detection limits may be changed without notification. Visit our Sampling & Analysis Guide or contact Client Services to verify current prices, methods, and detection limits.
Payment Terms
A completed credit application must be on file for us to extend credit. Purchase orders or credit card information must be submitted for us to release sample results. Payment terms are net 30 days. A monthly charge of 1.5% of the unpaid balance will be charged after 30 days. In the absence of an established credit arrangement or authorized purchase order, all analyses must be prepaid. We accept payments by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
Limits of Quantitation
The quantitation limits provided within the Sampling & Analysis Guide are the most current limits determined at the time of printing. The limits are actual laboratory determined limits and are recalculated periodically in accordance with our Quality Assurance requirements. These limits are subject to change; however, they will seldom change significantly.
Panel Pricing for Metals & VOC Price Cap
We introduced two new approaches to analyzing your samples that will save you money and time by batching your analyses. Our new “panel pricing” for compatible metals lets you custom-build your own panel, which is then analyzed in one sample. We also now offer a pricing cap for VOC analysis performed by GC/FID. As always, we also continue offering reduced panel pricing for VOC analysis by GC/MS.
Panel Pricing for Metals
| # of Metals Being Analyzed | Price per Panel |
| 1-4 | A la carte pricing |
| 5-10 | $139 ICP / $160 ICP-MS |
| 11-15 | $189 ICP / $209 ICP-MS |
| 16-21 | $220 ICP / $248 ICP-MS |
| 22-26 | $251 ICP / $268 ICP-MS |
| 27+ | $299 ICP / $318 ICP-MS |
Compatible Metals
- Aluminum
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Barium
- Beryllium
- Bismuth (ICP-MS only)
- Boron
- Cadmium
- Calcium
- Chromium
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Indium (ICP-MS only)
- Iron
- Lanthanum (ICP-MS only)
- Lead
- Lithium (ICP-MS only)
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Molybdenum
- Nickel
- Phosphorus
- Platinum (ICP-MS only)
- Potassium
- Selenium
- Silicon
- Sodium
- Strontium
- Tellurium (ICP-MS only)
- Thallium
- Tin
- Titanium
- Vanadium
- Yttrium (ICP-MS only)
- Zinc
Certain compounds are also compatible. Contact us for details.
Non-Compatible Metal Exclusions
Panel pricing is for analytically compatible metals. Certain metals which are analyzed by different methods are excluded including, but not limited to:
- Mercury
- Silver
- Tungsten
- Any other metal not analyzed in-house by SGS IH
VOCs by GC/FID
We’ve set a new cap for VOC pricing by GC/FID on charcoal tubes or badges. Pricing will not exceed $454 per sample, no matter how many VOCs you request on the same sample. For example, you can collect one badge, and we can report 28 different VOCs for $454.
Click here for a full list of compatible VOCs >
VOCs by GC/MS
If you do not need our full profile on canisters or thermal desorption tubes, that’s OK! We offer convenient panel pricing as well. 1-3 compounds is $171, and 4-6 compounds is $233 per sample for our standard 5 business day turnaround time.
Everything you need to comply with MSHA’s New 30 CFR Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) requirements in a cost-effective kit.
If you operate quarries, gravel and aggregate pits, or mines, ease your mind about your next MSHA inspection by collecting your samples in an easy and cost-effective way. The Mine Health and Safety Administration’s (MSHA) new RCS standard took effect on June 17, 2024. Silica surveys are required by 30 CFR 56.5002. Operators need to demonstrate they have met the directive and that’s where we can help. Coal Mine operators will have until April 14, 2025 to come into compliance with the final rules requirements while Metal and Non-Metal (MNM) mine operators will need to comply by April 8, 2026.
The final rule lowers the permissible exposure level (PEL) to 50 ug/m3 for a full 8 hour shift for all miners. It also establishes an action level of 25ug/m3 calculated as an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA).
MSHA Compliance Kit
SGS offers you the best solution in a one stop package.
We provide personal sampling pumps, media, PPIs or cyclones, calibration units – everything you will need to collect your samples. Our standard turnaround time for results is 5 business days. We will provide you an online web portal for you to view your results 24/7/365 days a year. Our dedicated, experienced technical staff including Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH) and customer service representatives are available to answer any questions you may have along the way. Contact us by phone 888-432-5227 or by IHLive Chat feature available Monday through Friday from 8am to 8pm EST.
The new MSHA RCS rule allows the use of Parallel Particle Impactors (PPIs) in place of traditional cyclones. SGS can provide these PPIs to you along with our Free Sampling Pumps to make collecting your RCS samples easier than in the past. The benefits of PPIs over cyclones are:
- Simple, easy to set up, saves time and effort.
- One time use – no risk of contamination from sample to sample
- No handling of the sample filter in the field; the filter is self-contained within the PPI
- The PPI does not require directional orientation; the employee can be free to move about in any direction to complete their work assignment.
Why SGS for your Testing Needs?
- Global Reach, Local Expertise: A worldwide laboratory network backed by local knowledge to meet your needs.
- Regulatory Compliance: Expertise in regional and international guidelines, including EPA, CCME, and more.
- Customized Analytical Plans: Tailored testing protocols to address unique project challenges.
- Proven Track Record: Decades of experience delivering high-quality data to industries across North America.
