The sample commits the cargo

A cargo's grade is decided on samples. If their journey is contestable, so is the value.

The chain of custody protects both: it says where each sample comes from, where it has been, and who held it.

Why paper is no longer enough

A paper register gets lost, crossed out, contested. It has neither timestamps nor guaranteed continuity. Facing a dispute over millions, paper does not hold.

A digital chain of custody does. It is time-stamped, attached to the sample, tamper-proof.

Label at collection

Every sample receives a unique identifier at collection. That identifier follows it from the pit face to the lab, without a break.

It is the first link, the one that conditions all the others. Collection made in the presence of the parties avoids disputes: the joint process is documented.

Time-stamp every transfer

Every change of hands is recorded with the time and the person responsible. An un-time-stamped transfer is a weak link in the chain.

The timestamp turns a gesture into a fact. Every link names its owner: who collected, who transported, who analysed.

Link the result to the sample

The lab result must be attached to the sample, not to a floating number. That link is what makes the grade verifiable.

A result without a sample is a number without proof. The lab is a link in the chain, not an outsider: the chain does not stop at its door.

The errors that break the chain

A sample renumbered without a link, a transfer not recorded, a result attached to the wrong batch: three errors that break the chain.

Once broken, it is hard to reconstruct, and reconstruction is worth less than a record. Seals protect the integrity of the sample between transfers.

Answering a dispute

A disputed cargo is defended with a complete history. Every documented link reduces the dispute to a verification.

The chain of custody turns the litigation into a formality. The complete history is consulted in minutes: the speed of the answer makes the difference.

Where to start

Map the journey of your samples, from the pit face to the lab. Identify the missing links, equip the transfer points.

The chain is built link by link, starting at collection. Subcontractors must respect the same rigour: the chain tolerates no weak link.

A sample has a journey. If it cannot prove it, neither can the cargo.