D5792-10 – Standard Test Method Technical Guide

The ASTM D5792−10 (Reapproved 2023) standard establishes a comprehensive framework for the Development of Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) specifically tailored to environmental data generation in waste management contexts. This practice serves as the foundational planning stage for any sampling and analysis campaign, ensuring that data collected is of sufficient quality and quantity to support defensible environmental decisions. Optimization of the sampling and analysis design is an integral part of this DQO process.

📏 Defining the Scope and Hierarchy of Data Generation

This practice covers the entire DQO development process in detail. It clearly establishes the DQO process as the first of three interrelated parts of data generation activities. The phases are explicitly sequential: (1) DQO Development (covered by this standard), (2) Implementation of the sampling and analysis strategies (covered by Guide D6311), and (3) Data quality assessment (covered by Guide D6233). The standard emphasizes that the DQO process is strictly a planning process and must be completed prior to any sampling or analysis activities, as stated in Section 1.5.