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R18LabQMS is now being used by laboratories throughout the United States, Hawaii, and Alaska; including state DOT’s, universities, and internationally. It is rapidly becoming the industry standard, while being recognized by AASHTO re:source as a tool in managing your Quality Management System. If you haven’t already done so, please contact us for a one-on-one WebEx demo of the application; at that time we can answer any questions you might have.

 

The Asphalt Institute developed R18LabQMS, an ‘all in one place’ web based application for laboratories that are managing their Quality Management System while following the guidelines of AASHTO R18. Most laboratories keep their cal/check/standardization,and maintenance procedure documentation, and requirements outlined in AASHTO R18 in spreadsheets, word processors, filing cabinets, binders and various locations around the lab. R18LabQMS was developed to streamline this process, save time and keep all laboratory personnel engaged in the process; it’s like hiring a part time employee to keep everything organized!

Benefits

  • Provides a user- friendly, interactive dashboard
  • Reduces administrative time spent on your QMS
  • Follows AASHTO R18 recommended practice used by assessors to evaluate your lab
  • Provides remote access to Assessors during accreditation assessments
  • Mitigates risks by maintaining compliance in meeting/exceeding conformance to standards
  • Allows Account Managers to add and manage multiple labs under one account
  • Offers users in non-accredited labs a jump start on the path to accreditation
  • Easy initial set-up process that’s intuitive and that addresses both management and technical requirements
  • Supports users through technical response, training videos, individual web-based training, and on-site technical assistance (fee applies for on-site consultation)

Getting Started

Once payment has been received, the Account Manager will receive an email to create their account and begin the setup process. After initial log-in, you are taken through the setup process of the management and technical sections of AASHTO R18. At this point you are given the opportunity to populate each subsection in a focused step-by-step approach. Once this process is completed, or bypassed, you will be taken to the application Dashboard. From that point the Dashboard will be your landing page upon logging into the application.

The Process

Once you make the decision to start your annual subscription and payment is received, you will receive a welcome email requesting the following information for each lab:

  • Name and address of laboratory
  • Primary Lab Manager, email

Your account will then be set-up and the Primary Lab Manager (PLM, user role) will receive an email with a link to create their password, then log-in to begin the set-up process. The setup process will walk the PLM through sections 5 (Management), and section 6 (technical) of the application prior to going directly to the application Dashboard.

Gary Irvine, Program Manager

Gary Irvine has worked with laboratory services at the Asphalt Institute for over 28 years touching virtually every business unit including the management of laboratory accreditation since 1998 when we received our accreditation. The idea came to Gary to create a management system to manage the QMS following the guidelines of AASHTO R18, and was launched in March 2013 with version 1.0

History

R18LabQMS was launched in March 2013 with version 1.0. The idea for this application came about from our own personal experiences with the management of our Quality Management System. In an effort to find a product to manage our Quality Manual for accreditation, we discovered the options were limited and cost prohibited. So in 2011 the groundwork was laid to develop an application that would help laboratories manage the requirements of AASHTO R18 and other accreditation standards.

In March 2018, five years after the initial launch, version 2.0 was released. The launch of 2.0 provided a fresh new look and feel to the application that improved workflow and the user experience. Several new features were added, while many of the original features remained but with improvements for efficiency. The application continues to be updated and maintained as users provide us with new suggestions and recommendations for improvements.