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This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
A specimen container is the container that holds a specimen, such as blood or another potentially infectious material, while it is collected, handled, processed, stored, transported or shipped. Under the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard it has to prevent leakage at every one of those stages. The people who use it are clinic and laboratory staff who collect specimens, couriers who carry them, and laboratory staff who receive them.
What a specimen container is
The word “container” covers anything from a tube to a cup to a bag. What makes it a specimen container is the job it does: it keeps the specimen in, keeps the outside of the container clean, and carries the information that identifies the specimen. The rules that follow come from two primary sources, the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) and the CDC’s laboratory safe work practices guidelines (MMWR Supplement, 2012).
A specimen container is a different product from a sharps container. A sharps container takes used needles and similar items for disposal; a specimen container holds something that will be tested. If you came here to dispose of a sharps container, see the FAQ below.
What the rules require of a specimen container
OSHA’s paragraph (d)(2)(xiii) sets the baseline: specimens of blood or other potentially infectious materials must be placed in a container that prevents leakage during collection, handling, processing, storage, transport or shipping. The container used for storage, transport or shipping must be labeled or color-coded as the standard describes (paragraph (g)(1)(i)) and closed before it is stored, transported or shipped.
| Requirement | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Leakproof | The container prevents leakage during collection, handling, processing, storage, transport and shipping. | 29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(2)(xiii) |
| Closed | The storage, transport or shipping container is closed before storage, transport or shipping. | 29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(2)(xiii) |
| Labeled or color-coded | The storage, transport or shipping container is labeled or color-coded under (g)(1)(i). Labeling is not required for containers inside the facility when Universal Precautions are used, and is required when the specimen leaves the facility. | 29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(2)(xiii)(A) |
| Second container if the outside is contaminated | If the outside of the primary container is contaminated, it is placed within a second container that prevents leakage. | 29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(2)(xiii)(B) |
| Puncture-resistant second container | If the specimen could puncture the primary container, the second container must also be puncture-resistant. | 29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(2)(xiii)(C) |
What the receiving laboratory checks
The CDC guidelines look at the container from the receiving end, which is where a failed container becomes a laboratory problem. Microbiology specimens should be received in uncontaminated containers that are intact (section 3.1). The same guidance describes these checks:
- Check containers for leaks on arrival and again before they go on rockers, centrifuges or conveyor belts (3.1.1).
- Request a new specimen if a container is broken or has spilled its contents (3.1.1).
- Make sure tops are tightly secured, and hold the tube or the outside of the container, not the stopper or cap (3.1.3).
- Make sure the label and bar code are not obscured before the specimen goes on for analysis (3.1.2).
- Track and document cracked tubes, loose caps and leaking containers (3.1.1).
Transport bags and secondary containers
For specimens sent through a pneumatic tube system, the CDC guidance says to use sealed zip-lock bags, tested to be leakproof under the conditions in the tube system, with only one patient’s specimens per bag (3.1.6). Combined with the OSHA rule above, the practical picture is two layers: the primary container that holds the specimen, and a second container when the outside of the primary is contaminated or when the specimen leaves the facility. If the specimen could puncture the primary container, the second container must be puncture-resistant.
For related transport and waste rules, see the guides on biohazard bag and container requirements and sample chain of custody in research labs.
Specimen containers for urine
A urine specimen is usually collected in a cup. The CDC guidance names one handling limit that applies to cups: containers without sealed caps, such as urine cups, should be hand-delivered rather than sent by pneumatic tube (3.1). The OSHA leakproof, closed and labeled requirements apply to a urine cup in the same way as to a blood tube when the specimen is a potentially infectious material.
Common mistakes the guidance points to
- Sending a container with a loose cap, which the CDC lists among the incidents to track and document (3.1.1).
- Putting more than one patient’s specimens in one zip-lock bag for a pneumatic tube system (3.1.6).
- Covering the label or bar code so it cannot be read on receipt (3.1.2).
- Sending a contaminated outer surface without a second container (29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(2)(xiii)(B)).
Related pages
A biospecimen is what the container holds. For adjacent products, see what is a cryovial and the phlebotomy lab supply checklist. The OSHA rules above sit inside the wider bloodborne pathogens standard for research laboratories.
FAQ
How do you dispose of a sharps container?
A sharps container is not a specimen container. For where a full one can go, see where to take a sharps container.
How to get rid of a sharps container by mail?
Some programs accept certain containers by mail; sharps container mail-back programs explains how they work.
What makes a sharps container FDA-cleared?
See FDA-cleared sharps containers for what clearance does and does not mean.
What must a specimen container for urine do?
Under the OSHA rule it must prevent leakage and be closed before transport, and under the CDC guidance containers without sealed caps, such as urine cups, should be hand-delivered rather than sent by pneumatic tube.
Sources
- OSHA, Bloodborne Pathogens, 29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(2)(xiii), accessed via https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/29/1910.1030 (Cornell Legal Information Institute), 29 October 2026.
- CDC, Guidelines for Safe Work Practices in Human and Animal Medical Diagnostic Laboratories, MMWR Supplement 2012, section 3.1: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6101a1.htm, checked 29 October 2026.
