What is a Chain of Custody (CoC)?

A Chain of Custody (CoC) is a legal document that is initiated by the client that acts as the formal re-quest for specific analyses to be performed by the laboratory. The CoC contains all of the information required for a clear understanding of what is expected by the client and, once accepted by the laboratory, what is being agreed to be delivered by the laboratory to the client. The CoC contains information including the identity of the client, who can receive reports, where the reports are to be sent, what turn around time (TAT) is required for the report, how the samples are to be identified, how many containers are being submitted for each sample, what parameters are being required for testing and signatures from the client giving the samples to the lab and a return signature from the laboratory that the samples have been accepted by the lab.