ABSTRACT
Before a physical sample is actually taken the whole sampling procedure and all required equipment must be in hand and ready to use. For large projects a field office, laboratory, and storage area must be in place and functioning at the field. The sampler or samplers to be used must be at the field, along with the project notebook, the sampling plan or diagram, maps of the area, and suitable containers for samples. The sample storage and transport containers must be present and ready to use, along with chain of custody and other forms. Plans for shipment and analysis must have already been discussed and planned with the commercial laboratory doing the analysis. (See Chapter 10 for a more complete description of this process.)
