Lab safety is important. We all know that. Unfortunately, many people who work in laboratories seem to take this for granted. Don’t be one of them.
In order to ensure the utmost reliability of your lab, you will need to keep safety your top priority. Besides, if you aren’t confident of the safety of your lab, then chances are you’d have a hard time working there, right?
But how can we make our laboratory safe?
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. There are actually some simple, yet effective strategies that you can use to make things work…
Interested?
Please read on:
Make Your Area Clean
Although cleanliness is a general rule for labs, you’d be surprised at how certain laboratories fail to keep this rule intact. Obviously, keeping your surroundings unclean will not only result to the contamination of your test subjects, but it will negatively affect your entire work area as well.
Tips:
- Clean your work area regularly. Also, make sure that your cleaning tools are clean or sterilized, to ensure utmost efficiency.
- Keep your work area clutter-free. Leaving things lying on the floor will not only lead to dirt, but they can also cause you to stumble on them later on. You might also want to keep your lab table free from unnecessary items as well, as this might cause inadvertent spilling or unwanted accidents.
- Make sure to disinfect before going to your lab (most especially if you’ll be doing sensitive tasks). Otherwise, you might end up contaminating your work area—and that can certainly be a problem.
Maintenance
Having a well maintained lab will not only result to greater efficiency, but greater safety as well. Hence, make sure that your lab is maintained on a regular basis—and make sure that it will be done by professionals who are actually equipped with the needed skills and expertise.
Tips:
- Have laminar air flow hoods and other lab equipment checked regularly. Leaving this equipment unattended (and w/o maintenance) can cause the introduction of contaminants and pollutants to your lab.
- Check lab furniture for any damage. Make sure that each furniture piece is working properly. If there are any damages, undertake the needed repairs or replacements.
- Remember: The keyword here is “regular.” Create a schedule for assessing and checking your lab and its equipment. This will make you more objective, which in turn, can help you make wiser decisions pertaining to lab safety and efficiency.
Use the Proper Gear
Make sure that you are using the needed safety gear. Never think that they are useless or are not important. You’ll never know, but they just might save your life.
Always wear safety goggles, gloves, boots, gowns or protective gear. If you are using disposable items, make sure to not use them again. Again, the key here is protection. The more you are able to protect yourself—the safer you and your lab will be.
Yes, simple things as these can make your lab a lot safer. It is now up to you if you want to use these strategies or not. Take note: safety is a primary consideration that you should never underestimate—and you should always keep that in mind.