“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.”

– Maya Angelou

You’ve been diligent. Calculated. Thorough. You’ve strategized, coordinated, communicated, and executed. You and your team have done their job and samples are off to the laboratory for them to do their job.

And your compliance is now in jeopardy because of… Ice not doing its job?

It’s always frustrating when to find that a 10-cent part broke and brought down the whole machine. Here are some tips to help avoid overlooking a simple but critical step of your sampling plan. To ensure temperature requirements aren’t violated it’s recommended that temperature-sensitive samples should be shipped to arrive at its destination by the next day after sampling. But, what happens when next day isn’t next day?

Below are a few tips to help strategize!

Tip #1

Ship as early in the week as possible, with hump day being the cutoff day. By doing this you have at least one day cushion before your samples have a weekend vacation. For example:

Tip #2

In addition to providing cushion and protection for fragile items, bubble wrap has good insulating properties which aids in maintaining temperature control. So, keep in mind that if you pack warm samples they’ll stay warm and vice versa. Let the sample’s temperature come down before packing. If time permits, allow them to completely chill in fridge then pack immediately.

Tip #3

When scheduling a pickup for common shipping providers, such as FedEx and UPS, pay close attention to the pickup time. There is a default pickup time preselected, but there should be an option to adjust it accommodate your schedule. In the event that samples aren’t packed up in time, or nobody picks up, ALWAYS be ready to have yourself or a coworker on standby to drop off your sample at your nearest facility.

Knowledge is the key to success. It’s important to also know the proper sample preservation, method, holding times and hours of operation. Please do not hesitate to contact your Enthalpy lab with questions before your sampling event is scheduled.

Myegan Griffin

Project Manager

Myegan Griffin graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Physics, and a Minor in Chemistry from Prairie View A & M University.

She started her career as a Sample Administrator with Environmental Chemistry Inc. (now Enthalpy Analytical – Houston) in 2014. Myegan was promoted to Sample Administrative Group Leader around 2016, and then became a Project Manager in 2018. She has over seven years of experience in her field, five of which are as a Project Manager.

 

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