The NHLS National Biobank, established in 2012 within the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH) in Johannesburg, is South Africa’s first and only population-based national biorepository and the first African biobank to achieve ISO 9001:2015 certification. The biobank was established in response to the growing burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases in South Africa, providing secure management and storage of biospecimens for research purposes. The NHLS Biobank maintains strict cold chain protocols for specimen integrity, with in-transit temperature monitoring using calibrated electronic logging devices traceable to SANAS-accredited standards. Storage capabilities include ultra-low temperature freezers with automated backup systems connecting to CO₂ cylinders for emergency temperature maintenance, plus a 20L automated generator ensuring continued power supply during load shedding. Collections include serum, plasma, buffy coat, urine samples, genomic material, tuberculosis microbank samples, dried blood spot samples, and histology/cytology slides. The biobank operates under ISBER Best Practices guidelines and maintains membership in the International Society of Biobanking and Biorepositories (ISBER) and the European, Middle Eastern and African Society for Biopreservation and Biobanking (ESBB). Their quality management system covers equipment, facilities, safety, organisation, personnel, documentation, records, and information management.

Cold Chain Relevance: Biospecimen cold chain management; ultra-low temperature storage; specimen transport cold chain validation