What a test item is and why 7.4 draws attention
A test item is anything the lab tests, calibrates or samples: a component, a battery cell, a specimen, a device or a sample. The standard does not distinguish by size or value. Clause 7.4 ensures that a result really belongs to the item the customer sent, and that it was not altered in transit or in the lab.
Assessors like to check this by example: they take a test report, follow the ID back to receipt and ask where the item was and who held it in between. Gaps show quickly because they cannot be closed retroactively.
What clause 7.4 requires
- Procedure: A documented approach for transport, receipt, handling, protection, storage, retention and disposal or return.
- Unique identification: Every item is clearly marked; the ID is retained for as long as the item is in the lab, including sub-samples.
- Traceability: The identification prevents confusion with other items, physically and in the records.
- Abnormalities on receipt: Deviations from the described condition or from the test specification are recorded.
- Consultation: If there is doubt about suitability, the customer is consulted before testing starts, and the conversation is documented.
- Environmental conditions: Where storage or handling must meet specific conditions, they are maintained and recorded.
Minimum records at receipt
Receipt is the moment the chain begins. What is missing here cannot be collected later. Every receipt should contain:
| Record | Why it is needed |
|---|---|
| Unique ID | Links item, measurement data and report; rules out mix-ups |
| Customer type and serial number | Matches the item to the order and the test report |
| Time and receiving person | Start of the chain of custody |
| Condition on receipt | Damage, missing parts, deviations from the description |
| Photos | Objective evidence of the incoming condition |
| Storage location and conditions | Proof that required conditions were maintained |
| Order or project | Assignment to the test order |
| Planned return or disposal | Settles what happens to the item at the end |
Building the chain of custody in six steps
- 1
Define the ID scheme
A scheme that stays unique, for example year plus running number, plus a code you can print as a barcode or QR label. Customer serial numbers are additional data, not the ID.
- 2
Label the item at receipt
Immediately on arrival. If the item itself cannot be labelled, mark the packaging and document that.
- 3
Record the incoming condition
Capture condition, abnormalities and photos in the same step, not later from memory.
- 4
Record every change
Handover to a colleague, relocation, shipment to an external lab: every change of holder or location is an event with time, person and place.
- 5
Check the status before testing starts
The tester scans the item, sees holder, location and incoming condition, and confirms it matches the order.
- 6
Close the chain properly
Record return or disposal as the final event, with date and responsible person; only then is the chain closed.
Typical audit findings
- An item carries no ID, or the ID is only on the packaging, which was thrown away.
- The incoming condition is not documented; damage cannot be attributed to transport or to the lab.
- Testing started despite doubts about suitability, without documented consultation with the customer.
- Location and holder are not evidenced for the periods between two test steps.
- Required storage conditions (temperature, state of charge, humidity) were not recorded.
- Return or disposal cannot be traced; the chain ends without closure.
Tools: spreadsheet, label or item management
A spreadsheet is enough as long as everyone maintains it, every entry carries date and person, and nothing is overwritten. In practice discipline is what fails: entries are added later, changes can no longer be traced. An item management system takes that burden off you if it offers three things:
- Mandatory holder and location on every event, so no gaps arise.
- A scannable code that leads directly to the item's detail page.
- A change history that keeps deleted or corrected entries traceable.
TestLabIQ keeps a chain of custody per test item with events (received, handed over, relocated, returned, disposed), mandatory holder and location fields, photos per event and a scannable short code for barcode or QR labels. Backdating and deletions remain visible in the audit log. Measurements can be linked directly to the item's page. TestLabIQ does not capture environmental conditions during storage automatically; record climate data as a note on the event or keep it in your climate monitoring system.