Most people in the laboratory own many stored samples. If we are honest, most of us own too many samples. As long as there is free space in the freezer, it is better to store the sample – you never know.

But if we are really honest, we realize that many of these stored samples just block space in the freezer. With many vessels, we even fail to be precise with their content: The label is gone, the writing is faded out, the handwriting is not as readable as planned, and the documentation of the inventory could be better anyway. Due to biosafety reasons, there is quite often just one solution: autoclavation and incineration of those samples.

This misery should be fixed as the original work on every sample requires labor, money, and equipment.

One central column of sample management is the proper labeling of vessels. Pre-coded vessels provide a high level of safety for the sample as well as for the workflows in the laboratory as the code is unique and can be backtracked. Discover how SafeCode can support your daily work with documentation requests and handling the “lost & found” samples.