Online Course
Laboratory Fundamentals
Follow a wastewater sample from collection to a result an operator can use: sampling, handling, the common lab tests, quality control and the record.
Course Details
- Certificate
- 1.5 hours
- Time
- About 106 minutes
- To pass
- 80% or better on the final
- Price
- For credit: $20, or $150 for the Course Pass. To learn with no credit: Included with Premium Pay for this course
For You
Pick your state or province to see if this course counts.
Your progress
Checking your course record…
What You'll Learn
- Explain why a lab result needs sample and process context before you act on it.
- Describe representative, grab and composite samples, preservation and holding time.
- Recognize common lab equipment, PPE, labels and safety data sheets.
- Follow the main steps of the dissolved oxygen, BOD and TSS tests.
- Describe what pH, temperature, chlorine residual, settleable solids, turbidity, bacteria and COD results tell you.
- Read a QC control chart, correct lab records the right way and report a non-detect.
What's Inside 11 parts, 58 pages
Why Lab Results Matter 4 pages
- Course Orientation
- Why Lab Results Matter
- Results Need Context
- Trustworthy Result Chain
Sampling and Holding Time 9 pages
- Receive And Check The Sample
- Representative Sampling
- Location Matters
- Why Sampling Time Matters
- Grab Samples
- Composite Samples
- Preservation And Storage
- Holding Time
- Managing Holding Time
Using Lab Results 2 pages
- How Operators Use Lab Results
- Use Results With Trends And Process Context
Lab Safety 3 pages
- Choosing PPE
- Labels And SDS
- Chemical Handling And Emergency Readiness
Equipment and Measurement 8 pages
- Reagents And Standards
- Labware Cleanliness And Cross-Contamination
- Equipment Roles
- Measure And Transfer
- Reading Measurements
- Choosing A Balance
- Equipment Readiness Beyond Calibration
- Accuracy And Precision
Dissolved Oxygen 4 pages
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Using A DO Probe
- Temperature And DO
- DO And Aeration
BOD 6 pages
- What BOD Tells Us
- The Five-Day Path
- Bottle And Initial DO
- Dilution Water And Seed
- BOD Blanks And GGA
- Final DO And Meaning
TSS 6 pages
- What TSS Represents
- Mix And Measure
- Filter And Wash
- Dry And Cool
- Weigh The Filter
- TSS: Putting It All Together
Other Common Tests 9 pages
- What pH Indicates
- Measuring pH
- Temperature
- Chlorine Residual
- Settleable Solids
- Turbidity And Clarity
- Common Bacteria Tests
- High Bacteria Results
- COD Introduction
Quality Control and Records 5 pages
- Blanks, Duplicates, And Standards
- When QC Fails
- Reading A QC Control Chart
- Correcting And Reviewing Laboratory Records
- Reporting A Non-Detect
Putting It All Together 2 pages
- Connect Lab Results To The Process
- Laboratory Fundamentals: Putting It All Together
More Details
Who It's For
Wastewater operators at any level, people studying to become operators, and experienced operators reviewing the basics. No lab background needed.
This course explains the workflow. Your lab procedure gives the exact steps for each test.
Format
58 narrated pages with short checks and a final. Built by a working wastewater operator (Washington Group III).
Where Does This Course Count?
A course counts toward your continuing education credit only once your state or province accepts it. Today Minnesota and Montana have approved our courses, they count in Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, South Carolina, where courses need no pre-approval, and we are asking more states. Ask us to add your state or province.
Do I Need an Account?
Yes, to take the course. Signing in lets us record your time and issue your certificate. This page, the topic pages and the practice questions need no account.
Can I Skip Ahead?
No. Each page has a minimum time before the next one opens, and your time is recorded.
What Do I Get When I Finish?
A certificate of completion from Operator Master for 1.5 hours, once you pass the final with 80% or better. Your operator certificate or license always comes from your state, not from Operator Master.