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Submit a sample

SAS Laboratory is a National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited laboratory providing services in analytical chemistry, micro­bi­o­logy, sampling and consulting to a wide range of customers from the public and private sectors. SAS Laboratory has a wide range of cap­ab­il­it­ies and has been Brisbane’s trusted laboratory for over 120 years.

Sample containers, eskies and ice bricks are available for collection from SAS Laboratory free of charge. Sample containers will be provided with labels and pre-dosed with pre­ser­vat­ives where required. Altern­at­ively sample containers can be freighted to customers with either Australia Post or a Courier service for an additional charge. The FY2023-24 SAS Laboratory Sample Container and Pre­ser­va­tion Require­ments document contains all relevant information regarding which sample containers should be used.

Sampling and preservation #

Care must be taken not to rinse out or spill pre­ser­vat­ives during sampling to avoid cross- con­tam­in­a­tion and ensure sample integrity and data validity. Samples should be chilled to <8oC and transported to the laboratory for analysis as soon as practicable after sampling has occurred.

Health and safety #

Quantities of pre­ser­vat­ives in sample containers are minimal in volume however SAS Laboratory recommends the use of appropriate personal protective equipment such as safety glasses and gloves whilst sampling. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all pre­ser­vat­ives and chemicals supplied can be provided on request.

Holding times #

SAS Laboratory holding times for all analyse have been indicated within this document. Ideally samples should be submitted to the laboratory with at least half of the recommended holding time remaining unless prior arrange­ments have been made. Samples received outside of the recommended holding time will attract a comment on the final report noting this non- compliance.

Limits of reporting (LOR) #

Standard limits of reporting (LOR) will be applied unless otherwise requested. If you require analysis to a specific limit of reporting or set of guidelines, this must be noted on the sample submission form upon receipt of your samples. Additional charges may apply to reduced limits of reporting where applicable.

Sample delivery #

Samples are accepted in person, by post or by courier Monday to Friday between the hours of 8:30am and 4:00pm. SAS Laboratory has an outside hour’s sample drop off facility which can be used for sample receipt outside these times via prior arrangement with the laboratory. Samples must be accompanied by a sample submission form which has been completed in its entirety.

Sample submission #

All samples received at SAS Laboratory need to be accompanied by a completed Sample Submission Form which contains all of the required information pertaining to customer details, sample particulars and the analysis required. You can use this blank sample submission form. Where samples are received without a sample submission form or where details are missing the sample receipt team will contact you in order to clear up any details. Whereby we are unable to contact you for a period of 24 hours following sample submission in order to obtain the information we require; samples will be disposed of. 

Turnaround times #

Standard turn-around time is 10 working days. Accelerated turn-around times may be possible depending on the required tests and the laboratory workload and must be organised prior to sample receipt. Surcharges for shorter turn-around times may apply. Standard turn-around times are for analyses performed using in-house methods only. Where SAS Laboratory sub­con­tracts analysis to a third-party additional turn-around wait times are to be expected. For further details please speak to the Business Enablement team.

Analytical rates #

Project specific quotes and full sampling and analytical services pricelists are available on request. For further information please send us an enquiry.

Reporting and invoicing #

Results will be provided by email in PDF format. Reporting in an excel spreadsheet is also available on request, if you require your results in an excel spreadsheet, please make a note of this on your sample submission form. Invoices will be posted to the addresses provided on the sample submission form unless specified otherwise.