The four-eyes principle at scale: multi-level verification in SENAITE

A submitted result isn’t yet a published result. Between the two sits verification, the step where someone other than the analyst confirms the number. In regulated labs, this isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the load-bearing wall of the QMS.

The default: one verification

Out of the box, SENAITE requires one verification. Users with the Lab Manager or Verifier role can approve submitted results. The analysis waits in the to be verified state until someone does.

Up to four levels

SENAITE supports up to four verification levels. Each level must be performed by a different user with the right role. That means a critical parameter can require four independent sets of eyes before it’s published. The four-eyes principle scaled up to eight.

Two places to configure it. Globally, in the LIMS setup under Analyses, the field “Number of required verifications” sets a lab-wide default. Per Analysis Service, the same field on the service overrides the global for that measurement.

When more levels are worth it

Regulatory samples (drinking water, blood banks, pharmaceutical release) are the obvious case. A wrong number has legal consequences and multiple eyes catch it before it ships.

New methods still in validation benefit too. The second and third reviewer is really a mentoring loop, teaching newer analysts what a subtle problem looks like.

Boundary cases (services with tight specs where a reviewer’s judgment on shoulder results carries weight) also earn the extra step.

When one level is enough

Routine internal QC, high-volume screening panels, or research work where speed matters more than the additional signature. Don’t over-engineer. Every extra verifier slows publication down.

The invariant SENAITE enforces

You can’t verify your own submission, and you can’t verify a result twice at different levels. The audit log records who did what and when. If auditors ask for the chain of custody on a result, it’s one export away.

Verification is one of those features that looks bureaucratic right up until the day it saves you.