The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) invites interested and suitably qualified candidates to apply for General Laboratory Assistant vacancies available in Roodepoort and Tembisa.
The opportunities are within the Medical, Health & Social Care sector and involve supporting blood bank and laboratory operations, including stock handling, blood hamper preparation, waste disposal, cleaning and compliance with laboratory procedures.
General Laboratory Assistant: Inventory and Processing – Roodepoort
Listing Reference: sanbs_003418
Location: Roodepoort
Business Unit: Constantia Kloof
Contract: Permanent
Remuneration: R212,282.00 per annum
Closing Date: 23 August 2026
Employment Equity: No
Position Overview
SANBS invites interested and suitably qualified candidates to apply for the General Laboratory Assistant: Inventory and Processing position at Constantia Kloof in Roodepoort.
The successful candidate will be responsible for the preparation, delivery and collection of blood bank hampers. The position also includes routine bio-hazardous waste disposal, laboratory cleaning and other duties performed according to relevant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Key Performance Areas
The successful candidate will be expected to perform duties relating to:
- Blood hamper preparation and collection.
- Packing received stock.
- Stock counting and stock control.
- Routine waste disposal.
- Daily laboratory duties.
- Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) compliance.
- General laboratory functions.
Competencies
Candidates should demonstrate strong attention to detail and problem-solving abilities.
The position also requires ethical behaviour, personal development, flexibility, adaptability, an orientation towards excellence and a strong commitment to the organisation’s purpose.
Good communication, customer service, relationship-building and teamwork skills are important. Candidates should also be able to engage respectfully with people from diverse backgrounds.
Special Requirements
The position may require:
- Overtime when required.
- Shift work.
- Weekend duties.
- Good general physical health.
- Reasonable endurance and mobility.
- Proficient eyesight.
Minimum Requirement
Education:
- Grade 12 with Mathematics and one Science subject.
General Laboratory Assistant: Blood Bank – Tembisa
Listing Reference: sanbs_003414
Location: Tembisa
Business Unit: Tembisa
Contract: Fixed Term Contract
Remuneration: R293,376.00 per annum
Closing Date: 20 August 2026
Employment Equity: No
Position Overview
SANBS invites interested and suitably qualified candidates to apply for the General Laboratory Assistant: Blood Bank position at the Tembisa business unit.
The successful candidate will be responsible for preparing, delivering and collecting blood bank hampers, performing routine bio-hazardous waste disposal and maintaining cleanliness within the laboratory according to relevant SOPs.
The position also involves blood stock management, laboratory cleaning, waste documentation, equipment decontamination and compliance with safety and quality requirements.
Key Performance Area 1: Blood Hamper Preparation and Stock Management
The successful candidate will prepare and collect hampers according to the applicable Standard Operating Procedures and schedules.
Duties include:
- Preparing BRB hampers.
- Collecting unused BRB hampers within specified timeframes.
- Collecting empty blood hampers from wards and designated collection or drop-off points.
- Checking hampers for unused products.
- Checking hampers for broken seals.
- Reporting open hampers containing units to the Supervisor or Shift Supervisor.
- Packing blood and blood product stocks into fridges, freezers or platelet agitators according to expiry dates.
- Checking, counting and arranging blood stocks daily according to expiry dates.
Key Performance Area 2: Waste Disposal
The successful candidate will be responsible for disposing of waste according to established SOPs and safety requirements.
Duties include ordering and receiving stock required for waste disposal and stores, attaching traceability labels and scanning containers into stock using the CS Tracker system.
The candidate will also place bin liners into the correct colour-coded medical waste containers, collect and discard outdated samples and seal and package plastic liners in medical waste containers.
Waste information must be captured on the computer system.
Additional responsibilities include:
- Recording full containers on waste tracking documents.
- Preparing Dangerous Goods Transportation documents.
- Receiving and filing waste manifests.
- Linking waste disposal documents with original manifests.
- Placing medical waste containers in designated areas for collection.
- Checking the weighing of waste by the approved waste disposal company.
Key Performance Area 3: Daily Laboratory Duties
The position involves supporting daily laboratory operations and maintaining a clean and safe working environment.
Duties include preparing disinfectant solutions when required and replenishing laboratory test tubes daily.
Test tubes must be examined to ensure that they are suitable for use.
The successful candidate will also clean and decontaminate laboratory equipment and items according to SOPs. This includes BRB and blood hampers, miscellaneous racks, wash-out trays and recycle boxes.
The candidate may assist with cleaning blood spills and must clean and decontaminate water baths according to the required schedule.
Other duties include:
- Cleaning centrifuge buckets when necessary.
- Cleaning and refilling detergent containers.
- Ensuring freshly prepared disinfectant is available.
- Disinfecting sinks, basins and sluice areas daily.
- Defrosting and cleaning refrigerators and freezers according to schedule.
Key Performance Area 4: SHEQ Compliance
Candidates must comply with applicable Standard Operating Procedures, Standards of Practice and Safety, Health and Environmental requirements.
The successful candidate may assist with gathering information required to resolve non-conformances, errors, deviations from SOPs and customer complaints.
Participation in continuous SHE legislative compliance will also be required.
Key Performance Area 5: General Functions
The successful candidate may be required to perform other job-related duties as instructed by section supervisors and senior staff.
The candidate will also be required to complete the Laboratory Assistants course within the specified period.
Minimum Requirements
Education
Interested candidates must have:
- Grade 12 with Mathematics.
- One Science subject.
Experience
No previous experience is required.
Computer Skills
Candidates should have computer literacy and knowledge of:
- Microsoft Word.
- Microsoft Excel.
- Microsoft Outlook.
Important Application Information
Interested and suitably qualified candidates should carefully check the requirements before applying.
The Tembisa General Laboratory Assistant: Blood Bank vacancy closes on 20 August 2026, while the Roodepoort General Laboratory Assistant: Inventory and Processing vacancy closes on 23 August 2026.
Candidates should use the correct listing reference when applying:
- sanbs_003414 – General Laboratory Assistant: Blood Bank, Tembisa.
- sanbs_003418 – General Laboratory Assistant: Inventory and Processing, Roodepoort.
The positions are suitable for candidates with Grade 12, Mathematics and a Science subject who are interested in gaining or developing experience in a laboratory and blood bank environment.
Applicants should ensure that all required information and supporting documents are submitted according to the official SANBS application instructions.
Closing Dates:
Tembisa: 20 August 2026
Roodepoort: 23 August 2026