An Automated Workcell for Specimen Tube Disposal

ARUP receives on average more than 23,000 specimens/day for laboratory testing. The residual samples are stored in trays with a capacity of 450 tubes at −20 °C for up to a year. Previously, the disposal of these samples required a minimum of 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) for the manual disposal of up to 39,000 samples/day. We report the development of an automated workcell for the disposal of these samples. The workcell has reduced the FTE requirement by sixfold to 0.18 and has minimized potential biohazardous exposures.