Label

Use a NSW Health bar­cod­ed label for the cor­rect sup­ply sys­tem, cur­rent year and sam­ple type.

Use a water­proof pen to record the site code, time and date of collection.

Ensure the out­side sur­face of the con­tain­er is dry before plac­ing the label even­ly around the sam­ple bot­tle (not on the lid) so that the entire bar­code can be scanned at the laboratory.

Preparing the Tap

Ensure the tap is clean, free of attach­ments and in good work­ing order.

Flush the water for 2 to 3 minutes.

Dis­in­fect the tap pri­or to tak­ing the sam­ple, using one of the fol­low­ing methods:

• Dis­in­fec­tion by flam­ing: For met­al taps with­out plas­tic fit­tings or oth­er heat-sen­si­tive com­po­nents, flame the tap, start­ing at the noz­zle and work­ing back to the body of the tap until the water in the noz­zle boils. After flam­ing, run the water to waste until cool before tak­ing the sample.
• Dis­in­fec­tion (when flam­ing is not appro­pri­ate): Dip the mouth of the tap for 2 to 3 min­utes in a beaker con­tain­ing sodi­um hypochlo­rite solu­tion (approx­i­mate­ly 1g/L avail­able chlo­rine), ethanol (70%) or iso­propanol (70%). Alter­na­tive­ly, a swab or wash bot­tle or sim­i­lar may be used to dis­in­fect the tap on the out­side and as much of the inside as pos­si­ble. Then, run the water just long enough to ensure that the sam­ple has no resid­ual dis­in­fec­tant effect.

Collection precautions 

• Do not to con­t­a­m­i­nate the sam­ple dur­ing collection.
• Do not rinse the con­tain­er before tak­ing the sample.
• Do not car­ry out field tests from this bottle.
• If tak­ing both micro­bi­ol­o­gy and chem­istry sam­ples, take the micro­bi­ol­o­gy sam­ple first.

Tips for collection

• Reduce water flow to pre­vent splash­ing but keep the tap running.
• Remove the screw cap and hold it with­out touch­ing the inside of the cap while tak­ing the sample.
• Fill the bot­tle only to just above the shoul­der. Do not fill all the way to the top or let the bot­tle over­flow. A min­i­mum vol­ume of 200 mL is required.
• Care­ful­ly replace the cap.

Field results 

• Take a sec­ond sam­ple at the same time you col­lect the Micro­bi­ol­o­gy to car­ry out field tests (tem­per­a­ture, pH, tur­bid­i­ty, free chlo­rine and total chlorine).
• Record the results on the Micro­bi­ol­o­gy label.

Transporting samples 

• Pack the sam­ple into an insu­lat­ed con­tain­er with enough freez­er bricks to keep it cool (5±30C) dur­ing trans­porta­tion. Do not freeze the sample.
• Attach a copy of the NSW Health Pathol­o­gy – West­mead address label to the container.
• Send/deliver the sam­ples to the lab­o­ra­to­ry so that test­ing may begin with­in 24 hours of collection.