What is the LHAAC Sampling Scheme?

The LHAAC operates a Sampling Scheme for all WA local governments to participate in, which reflects the current and emerging risks to community health. Through the Scheme, local government officers can access analytical services for any substance that has the potential to cause a health impact.

 The most common substances sampled and analysed by local governments include:

• Food products to monitor food safety and quality, e.g. microbial contamination, nutritional labelling accuracy, foreign objects.
• Drinking water sources for safety and quality, e.g. rainwater or bore water microbial and chemical contamination
• Soil, sediment or building material for asbestos detection

The Sampling Scheme is made up of three main elements:

• Coordinated Sampling Projects (CSPs) determined by the Committee with input from local government officers, to identify community health risks. All local governments in WA then have the option to submit samples if the risk is applicable within their jurisdiction. Recent CSPs include – campylobacter detections in Ready-to-eat chicken products, microbial survey of skin penetration businesses.
• Local Government officers can submit Non-Compliance samples to assist in the investigation of complaints about food businesses or products, illegal discharge/dumping, or other potential non-compliances as identified by previous CSP or sampling activities, or by routine local government (health-related) compliance activities.
• Local Government officers can submit Discretionary samples as part of their routine health-related compliance activities, e.g. food sampling for registered food businesses. 

At the beginning of the financial year, the LHAAC invoices all WA local governments for the annual fee to participate in the Sampling Scheme. Payment of the annual fee enables every local government to access an allocation of sampling credits that are used to track the expenditure for analytical services.

The Annual fee is based on each local government’s estimated human population compared against the whole State population. This fee is reviewed by the Committee each year to ensure the amount remains equitable, reasonable and reflective of current factors such as CPI rates, analytical service and business administration cost.

The LHAAC Coordinator liaises with WA local government officers and the WA Department of Health on a regular basis to provide information on sampling requirements and trending risks.